Chris Rock Will Return Fire At Will Smith In Upcoming Netflix Special

After almost a year, Chris Rock is set to talk about Will Smith's Oscar slap as he gears up for his upcoming Netflix special, titled Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.

This live-streamed broadcast, which will air on March 4 at 9:30 pm ET, marks the first time that Netflix will be streaming a live performance.

Another source revealed that ​​​​” If you were waiting to see Rock on tour address the infamous Will Smith slap situation... the comedian is waiting to spill his humorous take on it on his live Netflix stand-up special”.

Rock collaborated with "veteran comedy writers" to ensure that his jokes were funny and well-crafted. He sure did put in a lot of effort to come back with a bang.

The Netflix special will be filmed at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre, airing a week before the March 12 Academy Awards. Comedians like David Spade, Arsenio Hall, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are set to appear.

This live stream event is part of Netflix's experimentation to stop password sharing. It is a celebrity event and has gauged a lot of social media attention.

Chris Rock has a new stand-up special on Netflix called Selective Outrage, his second on the platform after Tamborine. According to the Wall Street Journal, Rock often uses the phrase Selective Outrage in his recent shows when referring to the Smith slap incident. While discussing the incident, he also linked it to women's dating habits.

The timing of the special's airing, a week before the Oscars, is said to be a coincidence, according to a Netflix representative. We can’t be for sure

During a previous performance, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair, alluding to the film G.I. Jane. Although, given her hair loss condition, the joke is controversial.

Rock replied to the controversial apology, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face. Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us.”

Smith apologized to Rock's family, especially his mother, Rosalie, who was deeply hurt by the incident and Tony Rock, Chris' younger brother. He acknowledged that he didn't realize how many people were hurt by his actions.

In addition, Smith apologized to his own family for the negative attention he brought upon them and to his fellow Oscar nominees for stealing their moment. He added that his wife had nothing to do with it.

Smith was banned from the Oscars and all academy events for 10 years. Although he apologized to Rock through an online video, he still disappointed his fans.

Will Smith participated in a TikTok trend where users ask inanimate objects what they think of them. In the video, he picked up his Best Actor Academy Award and appeared to ask it a question before the clip ended. 

Fans noted the connection to the Oscars slap incident but praised Smith's humor and ability to make fun of himself. Comedian Chris Rock later mentioned the incident during a comedy show, saying he was still processing it.

His fans appreciated that “nicely done. if you can't make fun of yourself, yer doing it wrong” and another wrote that “Oscar: 'I'm not mad… I'm just disappointed”.

His fans said “Redemption... This summer's blockbuster starring Will Smith. It's not what you say, but what you do!”.

Rock, aged 57, received a standing ovation in Boston. He became emotional and stated that he didn't have much to say, but the fans were impressed.

In a Los Angeles show with Dave Chappelle in the summer of 2022, they joked about being attacked on stage. Chappelle commented that Rock was hit by someone famous, while Rock responded that Chappelle was hit by the weakest rapper.