LAS VEGAS, UNITED STATES.- Comedian Chris Rock broke his silence this Wednesday about the slap that Will Smith tipped him at the Oscars on Sunday, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences launched disciplinary action against the actor.
“I’m still processing what happened,” Rock said at a packed house show in Boston, according to Variety.
Rock, dressed in white, was applauded by the audience, the magazine reported. “I don’t have much on what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show that I wrote before this weekend (…) At some point I will talk about that shit. And it will be serious and funny, ”he said.
SEE: Oscar Board says it is “disgusted” with Will Smith’s attack and promises action
On Sunday Rock joked at the Oscars about the flush cut of Jada Pinkett-Smith suffering from alopecia (hair loss). Her husband, Will Smith, came on stage and slapped him before yelling to a stunned audience: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f… mouth!”
Smith refused to withdraw from the Oscar ceremony after the stunning episode, the Academy said in a statement Wednesday.
“We would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, but we also recognize that we could have handled the situation differently.”
disciplinary procedure
The Academy, in charge of the awards, reported that it began a disciplinary action against Smith, 53, for the attack that overshadowed the biggest night in Hollywood and was seen by millions of people.
“The Board of Governors today began disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Will Smith for violating the Academy’s conduct statute, including inappropriate physical contact, threatening or abusive behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy,” the statement said.
“Mr. Smith is being notified with at least 15 days of a vote on his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard in advance by means of a written response.”
“At the next board meeting on April 18, the Academy will take disciplinary action that may include suspension, expulsion, and other sanctions permitted by conduct regulations and statutes.”
The agency is under heavy pressure to respond appropriately to the incident that clouded coverage of the lavish awards and stole the limelight from milestones like the victory of “CODA,” with a largely deaf cast.
SEE HERE: The moment Chris Rock apologizes to Will Smith for the joke about his wife
After slapping Rock, Smith took the stage again to accept the best actor Oscar for his lead in “King Richard: A Winning Family.” In a long speech, the actor made no direct mention of the attack, but commented: “Love leads you to do crazy things.”
Monday the Academy condemned the incident and announced a formal review.
Soon after, Smith posted a formal apology, while his wife posted a terse Instagram post saying this was “a season of healing.”
Rock, 57, has remained silent on social media and there was great anticipation for this Wednesday’s show in Boston.
Ticket touting portal TickPik announced on Twitter Monday that they sold more tickets on Oscar night alone than they had for all of last month for the comedian’s ongoing tour.
Ticket prices skyrocketed to over $1,000 and nothing was left on Tuesday for Wednesday’s 75-minute performance.
“Traumatized”
Oscar co-host Wanda Sykessaid Wednesday that he felt physically ill after what happened and opined that Smith should have been removed from the room.
“It was horrible, I feel physically bad and I’m still a little traumatized,” she said on the Ellen DeGeneres interviewer show.
“To be allowed to be in that room and enjoy the rest of the gala and accept his award was like, ‘How bad is this?’ It sent the wrong message,” said Sykes, who hosted the ceremony along with Amy Schumer and Regina Hall.
“If you attack someone, they should be escorted out of the building and that’s it. But they let him stay. It seemed wrong to me, ”he added.
Sykes also commented that he had spoken with Rock after the ceremony.
“The first thing he said was ‘I’m so sorry.’ But I said ‘What are you apologizing for?’ He told me ‘This had to be your night’”.
“’You and Amy (Schumer) and Regina (Hall) were doing an amazing job. I’m so sorry it’s going to be about this now,’” Rock told Sykes, according to her.
READ HERE: Jim Carrey felt “disgusted” by an ovation for Will Smith at the Oscars
Source-news.google.com