Chris Rock says he turned down an offer to host the Oscars 5 months after he slapped Will Smith

Chris Rock betrothed”slapBack on tour — and he had some new information to share. While performing his stand-up show in Phoenix, Arizona. On Sunday night, the comedian claimed he was asked to host the Academy Awards next year. It’s only been five months since then. will Smith He stormed the stage during the awards show and hit Rock in the face to make a joke Jada Pinkett SmithPoetry.

Arizona Republic Reports state that during the show, “Rock compared returning to the Oscars as back to the crime scene, referring to the murder trial of OJ Simpson, whose ex-wife’s murder began by leaving her a pair of glasses at an Italian restaurant. Rock said returning to the awards show would be tantamount to asking Nicole Brown Simpson to return to the restaurant.”

rock, from He joked about the accident earlierHe said he declined the invitation. He also revealed that he was offered a commercial for the Super Bowl due to the incident, but he “bluntly” declined it as well, according to the newspaper. However, Rock did not refuse to discuss the slap. When someone in the massive crowd urged him to talk about it, the comedian admitted the blow to Smith, who played boxer Muhammad Ali in Oninjury.

“He’s older than me,” said Rock sarcastically. “Nevada will not allow a fight between me and Will Smith.”

Yahoo Entertainment reached out to the academy to comment on Rock’s allegations, but did not immediately receive a response. However, the group usually never responds to hosting rumors (or offers).

ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich said in May that he was open to Rock to host the 2023 telecast. The comedian previously hosted in 2005 and 2016.

“My review for the Oscars was that it was a really successful year for the show,” said Irwich. “There was obviously a lot of controversy, which overshadowed a lot of positive things about the show, but I was really happy with the show.” Limit. “Even before that very unfortunate moment, the show kicked off year after year, and we’re back in a big way.”

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Smith resigned from the academy after the accident and was It was later blocked of events related to the Academy for 10 years. After months of staying out of the spotlight, the actor has been slowly acclimating I started to come out of hiding. A month ago, Smith Back to social media I apologize to Roc.

“No part of me thinks this was the right way to act in that moment,” Smith said. “No part of me thinks this is the right way to deal with feeling disrespected or insulted.”

“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that comes back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he’ll reach out to you. So I’m going to say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here when you’re ready to talk,” Smith added.

Insiders say it’s unlikely That Rock is eager to sit down with the Oscar winner anytime soon.

MORE: Will Smith ‘Does Well’ Hanging Out With Jada Pinkett Smith Months After The Oscar Slap