Chris Rock reportedly made it crystal clear that he has no interest in returning to the 2023 Oscars to host the annual ceremony.
During the 57-year-old comedian’s appearance Sunday night at a comedy club in Phoenix, Arizona, Rock reportedly told the audience that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reached out to him to see if he would host the award show next year. It comes after he was slapped on stage by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars after he cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head amid her hair loss battle, as The Daily Wire previously reported.
Rock reportedly told the crowd he refused the invitation and suggested it would be like asking O.J. Simpson’s late ex-wife, Nicole Brown, “to go back to the restaurant” where she left her eyeglasses before being murdered. It was a reference to details from the murder trial of the former professional football star who was acquitted in the case, the New York Post noted.
Chris Rock reportedly says he turned down the Academy's invitation to host next year's #Oscars ceremony: https://t.co/hZANAIyPag pic.twitter.com/v126Kr1s8v
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 30, 2022
The “Death At A Funeral” star previously hosted the annual awards show two other times, in 2005 and then again in 2016, the Hollywood Reporter noted.
Rock reportedly told the Arizona crowd that he was asked to participate in a Super Bowl commercial for next year too and he said he declined that as well, the outlet noted.
The comedian also reportedly referenced being slapped by Smith at Sunday’s show in a bit about gaining fame from victimhood.
“He’s bigger than me,” Rock said. “The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
In July, the “Men In Black” star released a video on social media issuing another apology to Rock and said he has reached out to Rock, and the message has come back that the comedian is not ready to speak to him yet.
After Smith slapped Rock in the face during the 94th Academy Awards show, he was not removed from the building, and a short time later, he took the stage to accept his first Oscar ever — best actor for his role in the film “King Richard.”
The actor later issued an apology to Rock after the incident, calling it “out of line” and “wrong.” Later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a 10-year ban preventing Smith from attending the annual awards show.