It looks like Will Smith will need to do a lot more than an apology video to earn Chris Rock's forgiveness. Earlier this year, Smith issued a video apology to Chris Rock and his family following the infamous Oscars slap. He explained that he was wrong and revealed that he attempted to reach out to Rock on several occasions, which have been declined.
Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
In a recent stand-up set in London alongside Dave Chappelle, Rock continued to slam "Suge Smith" for his apology video, per Deadline. "Fuck your hostage video," he reportedly said on the stage. “Yes, that shit hurt. He played Ali,” Rock continued in reference to Smith's role in the 2001 biographic film on Muhammed Ali. “I can’t even play Floyd Mayweather.”
On a separate evening, Chappelle's reported having said, "A lot of people forget who Will Smith is. 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."
While the Oscars moment seems to have provided Rock with some solid material for his stand-up sets, Smith appears to be trying to ease his way into the public eye. Over the past few weeks, he's returned to Instagram where he's uploaded new content.
Should Chris Rock forgive Will Smith already? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years.
Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021.
Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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