Chris Rock Shades Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith’s ‘Entanglement’ Drama As He Addresses Slap

Chris Rock finally took the opportunity to publicly address the infamous Oscars night slap of 2022 during a live Netflix special.

Chris Rock set the record straight about the controversial Oscars slap he sustained onstage from fellow actor Will Smith — in his own special way! During his Netflix live special, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, on March 4, just days ahead of the one year anniversary, he not only addressed the shocking move by the actor, but he also talked about his and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith‘s “entanglement” drama.

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“Will Smith practices selective outrage,” Chris said on stage during the special. “Everybody that really knows knows I had nothing to do with that sh*t. I didn’t have any ‘entanglements.'”

The “entanglements” he was referring to happened in July 2020, when Jada revealed she had an “entanglement” with singer August Alsina years before that, when she and Will were on a break. She explained that they were able to eventually repair their relationship and reached “a new place of unconditional love.”

“We all been cheated on. Everybody in this industry has been cheated on,” Chris continued to joke while talking about Will and Jada before mentioning a previous sit-down interview the couple had about their mariage struggles. “None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television. None of us. … Why the f*ck would you do that sh*t? She hurt him way more than he hurt me, okay?”

Chris then talked about some of the public’s reaction to Will and Jada’s break.  He said “everybody in the world” called Will a “bitch” after the “entanglement” news, and even claimed he tried to call him up about it but he didn’t pick up. “Everybody. And who’s he hit? Me.”

In addition to talking about Will and Jada, Chris joked about Will’s slap directly and said he would never act like a “victim” over the situation. “You’ll never see me on Oprah or Gayle [King], crying. You will never see it. Never gonna happen.” He called Will “Suge Smith” and admitted the slap was painful. “I got smacked at the f*cking Oscars by this motherf*cker. And people are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts!” he exclaimed.

Chris’ latest remarks in his new special come after Will, 54, unceremoniously marched onstage during the live March 27, 2022 broadcast and slapped the legendary comedian in front of millions. As he returned to his seat and shouted up at Chris, his words were silenced by the network. Will was evidently triggered by a dated G.I. Jane joke directed to his wife Jada Pinkett Smith‘s appearance. She has in the past discussed her battle with alopecia.

The shocking moment immediately went viral, but Chris, who appeared momentarily stunned by the assault, kept mostly quiet about it — aside from a few well-placed jokes. And Will went on to win Best Actor the same evening, but the matter but nowhere near over. After a review by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Men In Black star was banned from the Oscars for ten years.

“The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” AMPAS President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement in April of 2022. They went on to commend Chris for his handling of the incident, which almost entirely overshadowed the 2022 Oscars.

“We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances,” the statement continued. “We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast. This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted.”