Although tickets to his comedy shows have skyrocketed, Chris Rock isn’t ready to discuss the infamous Oscars slap from Will Smith. While performing a surprise set at the Comedy Cellar on Tuesday night, the stand up noted he wouldn’t be talking about Will and the moment that shocked the world. “He literally only addressed it as the the crowd was going wild for his surprise appearance, and he got on stage and said, ‘Lower your expectations. I’m not going to address that s–t,’” an audience member told Page Six.
The fan also noted that Chris joked he was workshopping his material since “all the sudden people cared about his early shows.”
In addition to comedy show patrons, sources have EXCLUSIVELY revealed to HollywoodLife how the 57-year-old comedian is apparently still reeling from the slap and that he likely wouldn’t be able to accept the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air star’s apology. “He can’t imagine forgiving Will, being friends with him. It is just a very weird thing to fully envelope,” a source close to Chris shared with us.s
Moreover, Chris also knows that the ordeal is not something people are going to forget about anytime soon. “Chris Rock doesn’t want the Will Smith slap to define him and the rest of his career. It sucks that it is now part of his life forever,” our insider divulged.
Since the slap, ticket sales to Chris’s comedy shows have definitely gone up in his favor. While his audiences may be expecting him to address the slap, he’s still not ready to go there yet. “He doesn’t know when he will talk about it, he knows he will have to at some point, but he literally is focusing on his tour and for the dust to fully settle,” the source explained. “It is still raw, emotional, and confusing to deal with and wrap his head around.”