Actor Will Smith just dropped his first studio album in 20 years, and he referenced the infamous moment at the 2022 Academy Awards when he slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face.
The rap artist included many collaborations on his new album, “Based On a True Story,” and the first song, “Int. Barbershop — Day,” begins with the line, “Will Smith is canceled,” as Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2025/music/news/will-smith-new-album-chris-rock-oscars-slap-1236350689/">noted</a>.
The song&#8217;s credits say it’s a collaboration between DJ Jazzy Jeff and B. Simone. It includes several voices repeating rumors about Smith in a freestyle rap, such as “Who the f** Will Smith think he is?” and “I ain’t never going to forgive him for that sh** he did.” 
One of the song lyrics says, “I heard he won the Oscar but he had to give it back/ And you know they only made him do that sh** because he’s black.”
The outlet notes that Smith did not have to return his Oscar, but he was banned from attending any Academy events for at least ten years.
The “Men in Black” star shocked the entertainment world by responding physically to Rock telling a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Will strode onto the stage and slapped Rock, then said, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.”
Later in the telecast, Smith was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for his film “King Richard.”
Another line in the song mentions the incident again: “Him and Jada both crazy girl, what you talkin’ bout?/ You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.”
The album’s second song, “You Lookin’ for Me?” also references the drama in his personal life. The lyrics say, “Took a lot, I’m back on top/ Y’all gon’ have to get acclimated/ Won’t stop, my sh** still hot/ Even though I won’t get nominated.” 
Previously, Smith <a href="https://thesource.com/2025/03/28/will-smith-shares-advice-from-jay-z-kendrick-lamar-on-new-album/">mentioned</a> that he had received guidance from Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar for the new album. He said Jay-Z told him to “be true to your story,” which helped inspire the title. Lamar told Smith to “say that sh** you always been scared to say.”

Will Smith

Will Smith References Infamous Oscars Slap On His First Album Drop In 20 Years

Celebrities

Chris Rock

Entertainment

Jada Pinkett Smith

Music

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U.S.

What’s the hardest job in Hollywood?
You might think it’s handling PR chores for Jonathan Majors or Ezra Miller. Good guess, but wrong. 
Try hosting a major awards show telecast.
The greats made it look easy in days gone by. Think Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal and Steve Martin. They entertained millions, kept the material clean and enhanced the aura of the shows in question and their comic brands.
<div id="attachment_679321" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-679321" class="size-large wp-image-679321" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-97517295-865x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 07: Co-host Steve Martin onstage during the 82nd Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on March 7, 2010 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Caulfield/WireImage)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-97517295-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-97517295-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-97517295-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-97517295.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Michael Caulfield/WireImage</div>
And, best of all? No one complained the next day about a joke that “punched down” or targeted a protected group or class.
Now? It’s the cruelest job in Tinsel Town, a gig with more fine print than a bank loan.
Jo Koy learned this lesson the hard way.
The affable comic, known for humorously recreating his mother’s life lessons on stage, is a serious stand-up draw. He routinely plays arenas, not clubs, and last year headlined his first feature comedy, “Easter Sunday.”
He was an unconventional choice to host the recent Golden Globes telecast given he lacked the name recognition of more established stars, but he was hardly a poor selection on paper.
On stage was a different matter.
<div id="attachment_679325" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-679325" class="size-large wp-image-679325" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1908168916-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 7: Jo Koy at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 7, 2024. (Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images) *** Jo Koy ***" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1908168916-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1908168916-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1908168916-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1908168916.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images</div>
Koy only had two-plus weeks to prepare for the gig, but he didn’t use that time wisely. His best jokes proved mediocre, he worked blue in amateurish fashion and, worst of all, threw his writing team under the bus mid-monologue when he knew he was bombing.
“You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. I wrote some of these, and those are the ones you’re gonna laugh at.”
That’s the kind of flop-sweat moment that’s hard to forgive and forget, especially for his writing team.
And, naturally, critics skewered Koy’s handiwork. The monologue also triggered Swiftie Nation, which howled over an innocent Koy quip about the NFL’s wall-to-wall coverage of Taylor Swift’s sudden interest in the Kansas City Chiefs.
The joke didn’t even target Swift, but the fact that it was Swift-adjacent was more than enough.
Koy’s troubles are hardly the only reason awards show gigs are so, to use the woke Left’s terminology, “problematic.” That helps explain why Chris Rock, Ali Wong and the “Smartless” podcast trio – Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes – <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/12/11/entertainment/golden-globes-2024-host-chris-rock-more-decline-offer/">turned the Globes hosting gig down previous to Koy.</a>
Wong may be a rising star thanks to her stand-up chops and sturdy work in the Netflix series “Beef,” but she wisely stood down.
Rock, one of the best stand-up comics around, wants no part of the gig even though he handled the task twice already (the 2005 and 2016 Oscars). That was then, before Cancel Culture made every gag a potential woke landmine.
Rock also declined the chance to host the 2023 Oscars, roughly a year after Will Smith slapped him on stage for telling a joke about the actor’s wife.
It&#8217;s become the new Hollywood badge of honor – turning down the chance to host an awards gala.
<div id="attachment_679345" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-679345" class="size-large wp-image-679345" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1239558965-864x576.jpg" alt="TOPSHOT - US actor Will Smith (R) slaps US actor Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 27, 2022. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1239558965-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1239558965-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1239558965-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1239558965.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images</div>
Dwayne Johnson similarly <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/why-dwayne-the-rock-johnson-turned-down-oscars-2019-host-offer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declined the 2019 Oscars</a> ceremony gig, citing a prior engagement. Right. And he hasn’t publicly campaigned for the gig since.
Comic superstar Kevin Hart famously <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/02/kevin-hart-oscar-controversy-looking-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">landed the Oscar-hosting gig</a> and lost it in record time in 2018 after crude, decade-old gay jokes “resurfaced.” The Oscars even went host-free for three straight years (2019-2021) following HartGate, an acknowledgment of how tricky the gig suddenly is.
How many comedians could survive the woke vetting?
There’s another reason comedians would rather bomb at a Hell’s Kitchen bar than play to an awards show crowd. Said crowd keeps getting smaller. Snagging an Emmy or Oscar-hosting gig once meant performing before a massive TV audience. That could turn a comedian into a superstar overnight.
Show ratings are generally on the decline, alas. Even the Globes, which enjoyed a strong uptick from the 2023 edition, is still far below recent years. The <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2024/01/08/audience-for-a-revamped-golden-globes-on-cbs-grew-50-to-94-million/?sh=24d1c61e3417" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 edition drew a hearty 18.4 million viewers</a>, the final year before COVID-19 and scandals rocked the organization.
And then there’s the expectations that go with the job.
That includes using the bully pulpit to advance progressive causes. For veteran hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, that’s a no-brainer. It’s what he does each night on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Others may not feel as comfortable going in that direction.
It could explain why Johnson is steering clear of any awards show stage. He has political aspirations and doesn’t want to trigger half the country.
Koy’s monologue, while a touch woke, avoided politics entirely. He might have gotten a softer landing had he lobbed a few barbs at Donald Trump or other GOP favorites.
Maybe.
He would have gotten a bigger rhetorical beating if he took some swings at President Joe Biden, though.
The only steady hosts these days come from late-night TV. Both Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah keep getting tapped for the gigs, from the Oscars to the Grammys. They’re both aggressively liberal, which appeases the industry’s tastemakers along with media critics.
<div id="attachment_679333" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-679333" class="size-large wp-image-679333" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1473080350-864x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1473080350-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1473080350-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1473080350-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1473080350.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Kevin Winter/Getty Images</div>
Each lives in the belly of the Hollywood beast, so they understand how far they can push their quips.
The industry doesn’t care if they gain or lose viewers. Ratings matter less than The Hollywood-approved messaging. Why else hire deeply divisive comedians who chase Red State audiences away?
Plus, if ratings truly mattered, Ricky Gervais would host the Oscars and Dave Chappelle would tackle the Emmy and Grammy awards. The industry would rather play to a smaller crowd than give the public what it wants.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Golden Globes

Help Wanted: Awards Show Host — Why No One Wants The Worst Gig Around

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Readers Pass

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jada-pinkett-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jada Pinkett Smith</a> referred to her husband <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/will-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith</a> hitting <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chris-rock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rock</a> during the 94th <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/oscars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Academy Awards</a> in 2022 as a “holy slap,” saying it had some positive results.
The 52-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actress</a> reflected on the incident during a newly published <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-12827701/Jada-Pinkett-Smith-reveals-shell-never-leave-Smith-separate-homes-Oscars-slap-saved-marriage.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Daily Mail&#8217;s YOU Magazine. &#8220;I nearly didn’t even attend the Oscars that year, but I’m glad I did,&#8221; Jada told the outlet. &#8220;I call it the &#8216;holy slap&#8217; now because so many positive things came after it.&#8221;
Will stormed onto the stage to hit Rock after he made a joke about Jada’s bald head. She was diagnosed with the medical condition alopecia, which causes her hair to fall out, though Rock said he wasn’t aware of that when he told the joke. The “Men In Black” actor has publicly apologized for his actions.
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Meanwhile, Jada announced in her memoir that she and Will had been “separated” since 2016 but were still technically married.
&#8220;That moment of the s*** hitting the fan is when you see where you really are,&#8221; Jada told YOU Magazine. &#8220;After all those years trying to figure out if I would leave Will’s side, it took that slap for me to see I will never leave him.&#8221;
&#8220;Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?&#8221; she added.
Jada had previously discussed the slap while promoting her memoir “Worthy,” which was released in October. She claims to have thought the slap incident was a pre-planned skit even as she was sitting in the audience watching it happen firsthand.
“I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him,’” she told <a href="https://people.com/jada-pinkett-smith-breaks-silence-marriage-oscars-slap-more-exclusive-8349700" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a> in October. “It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit.” She recalled the first words she said to him after he returned to his seat, which were, “Are you okay?”
“I’m going to be by his side, but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself,” Jada said of her husband. 
She told NBC News interviewer Hoda Kotb that she didn&#8217;t plan on leaving Will during another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jada-pinkett-smith-says-she-and-will-smith-have-been-separated-since-2016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> the same month. “I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through … whatever,” Jada said. “I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”

Will Smith slap

‘Holy Slap’: Jada Pinkett Smith Says Will Smith’s Oscars Debacle Convinced Her To ‘Never Leave Him’

'Holy Slap': Jada Pinkett Smith Says Will Smith's Oscars Debacle Convinced Her To 'Never Leave Him'

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jada-pinkett-smith-breaks-silence-on-will-smiths-oscars-slap-hopes-husband-and-chris-rock-will-have-an-opportunity-to-heal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jada Pinkett Smith</a> finally revealed what <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-rock-torches-wokeness-meghan-markle-and-will-smith-in-netflix-special-dont-fall-into-the-woke-trap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rock</a> said to her off camera after actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-smith-finally-breaks-silence-on-what-occurred-between-him-and-jada-pinkett-smith-before-he-struck-chris-rock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith</a> walked up to the Oscars presenter and slapped him in the face over the comedian&#8217;s joke about her shaved head at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.
During an interview on Friday with the &#8220;Today&#8221; <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/news/jada-pinkett-smith-what-chris-rock-said-after-slap-rcna120228" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show,</a> the 52-year-old actress said that immediately after the incident, while viewers were watching the clips of the nominees for Best Documentary Feature, Rock leaned over the stage and apologized to her.
&#8220;And Chris looks to me and he says, &#8216;Jada, I meant no harm,'&#8221; Smith told the host. &#8220;Now, I&#8217;m just out of it because I&#8217;m really worried about Will. And Will&#8217;s still talking because now he&#8217;s mad because Chris is talking to me.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
EXCLUSIVE: Jada Pinkett Smith spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/hodakotb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hodakotb</a> about feeling &#8220;shocked&#8221; after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock: &#8220;We haven&#8217;t called each other husband and wife in a long time. I&#8217;m like, &#8216;What is going on right now?'&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/tuqshIZ6OH">pic.twitter.com/tuqshIZ6OH</a>
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1712805100769382886?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
She said she told the comedian &#8220;&#8216;Chris this is about some old s**t.'&#8221; and added, &#8220;That&#8217;s all I could think to say. And I couldn&#8217;t really take in his apology.&#8221;
Jada said she thought some people faulted her for what happened because she had previously discussed in 2020 her &#8220;entanglement&#8221; years earlier with singer August Alsina.
At the time, the actress claimed it occurred while she and Will were separated briefly. However, she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jada-pinkett-smith-says-she-and-will-smith-have-been-separated-since-2016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently revealed</a> that the two stars have been &#8220;separated&#8221; since 2016.
In an interview earlier this week for <a href="https://people.com/jada-pinkett-smith-says-chris-rock-asked-her-out-on-a-date-amid-rumors-she-and-will-were-divorcing-exclusive-8349420" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a> magazine, the &#8220;Girls Trip&#8221; star said Rock had asked her out on a date one of the times the Hollywood couple was in the news over divorce rumors, which might put a bit more context into what happened at the Oscars.
&#8220;I think every summer, all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce,&#8221; Pinkett Smith said. &#8220;And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce.&#8221;
&#8220;So he called me and basically he was like, &#8216;I&#8217;d love to take you out,'&#8221; she added. &#8220;And I was like, &#8216;What do you mean?&#8217; He was like, &#8216;Well, aren&#8217;t you and Will getting a divorce?&#8217; I was like, &#8216;No. Chris, those are just rumors.&#8217; He was appalled. And he profusely apologized, and that was that.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jada-pinkett-smith-breaks-silence-on-will-smiths-oscars-slap-hopes-husband-and-chris-rock-will-have-an-opportunity-to-heal">Jada Pinkett Smith Breaks Silence On Will Smith&#8217;s Oscars Slap, Hopes Husband And Chris Rock Will Have An &#8216;Opportunity To Heal&#8217;</a>

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals What Chris Rock Said To Her After Will Smith Slap

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/motherfer-hit-me-over-a-bulls-joke-chris-rock-unleashes-on-will-smith-over-oscars-slap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rock</a> is in final negotiations to direct and produce a Martin Luther King Jr. biopic for Universal based on Jonathan Eig&#8217;s 2023 biography &#8220;King: A Life,&#8221; according to The <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/chris-rock-to-direct-martin-luther-king-jr-biopic-1235609939/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hollywood Reporter</a>.
Eig&#8217;s critically acclaimed book is based on the recent release of FBI documents, letters, oral histories and other material, along with White House telephone transcripts, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/books/the-new-definitive-biography-of-martin-luther-king-jr.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> noted.
Eig&#8217;s publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, described the book as an &#8220;intimate portrayal of King as a courageous but emotionally troubled individual who demanded peaceful protest while grappling with his own frailties and a government that hunted him.&#8221;
Steven Spielberg will be the executive producer via his Amblin Partners, with Kristie Macosko Krieger also producing, THR noted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A Martin Luther King Jr biopic is in the works with Chris Rock set to direct.
(Source: Deadline) <a href="https://t.co/LbHVz7in1F">pic.twitter.com/LbHVz7in1F</a>
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) <a href="https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1709997105329078553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
There is no word yet on what actors/actresses will potentially make up the cast for the upcoming movie.
The &#8220;Grown Ups&#8221; star is not new to the directing role. He previously directed and starred in the Toronto International Film Festival favorite &#8220;Top Five&#8221; in 2014.
In 2007, he directed the romantic comedy &#8220;I Think I Love My Wife&#8221; in which he starred alongside Gina Torres and Kerry Washington. Four years earlier, he directed, wrote and starred in the political comedy &#8220;Head of State&#8221; alongside the late-comedian Bernie Mac.
Earlier this year, he appeared on the big screen in George C. Wolfe&#8217;s civil rights biopic &#8220;Rustin,&#8221; starring Colman Domingo, the outlet noted.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1696011031102000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1725QljG4qoXJl_mG2Blr2">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
In March, Rock kicked off a live stand-up comedy special titled &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-rock-torches-wokeness-meghan-markle-and-will-smith-in-netflix-special-dont-fall-into-the-woke-trap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rock: Selective Outrage</a>,&#8221; in which he unleashed jokes directed at actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-smith-says-he-totally-understands-and-respects-if-people-arent-ready-to-see-his-new-film" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith</a> and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, that dealt with the now-infamous slap he received from Smith during the his presentation at the Academy Awards in 2022.
In the special, he said Smith exhibited &#8220;selective outrage&#8221; when he slapped him at the Oscars.
&#8220;Will Smith practices selective outrage because everyone that knows what happened, everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s***,&#8221; Rock shared. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t have any entanglements. His wife was f***** her son&#8217;s friend.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-rock-torches-wokeness-meghan-markle-and-will-smith-in-netflix-special-dont-fall-into-the-woke-trap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rock Torches Wokeness, Meghan Markle, And Will Smith In Netflix Special: &#8216;Don&#8217;t Fall Into The Woke Trap&#8217;</a>

The National Board Of Review Annual Awards Gala – Inside

Chris Rock In Final Negotiations To Direct Martin Luther King Jr. Movie

Martin Luther King Jr.

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Comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chris-rock">Chris Rock</a> fled the flooded and muddy grounds at the Burning Man festival, walking six miles alongside DJ and songwriter Diplo until a fan stopped and gave them a lift in the bed of a pickup truck.
Diplo, whose given name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, shared a video documenting the roadside rescue on his Instagram account.
&#8220;I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz i have a show in dc tonight and didnt want to let yall down. Also shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment,&#8221; the DJ captioned his post.
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&#8220;A fan offered Chris Rock and I a ride out of Burning Man in the back of a pickup after walking six miles through the mud,&#8221; he added in the video. &#8220;All Chris could think about was a f***ing cold brew.&#8221;
Diplo and Rock were among many who tried to escape the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/1-dead-70000-stranded-after-flash-flooding-interrupts-burning-man-festival-in-nevada-desert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flooded festival</a> that has so far left at least one dead and thousands more stranded. Heavy rain and flash flooding in Nevada&#8217;s Black Rock Desert, where the annual weeklong event is held, forced tens of thousands to shelter in place.
The conditions were so treacherous that local officials cut off access to the festival after the heavy rains on Friday night, and the gates were still closed as of Sunday morning.
&#8220;Due to recent rainfall, the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff&#8217;s Office officials have closed the entrance to Burning Man for the remainder of the event. Please avoid traveling to the area; you will be turned around. All event access is closed,&#8221; @WashoeSheriff announced the closure via X.
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Due to recent rainfall, the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff&#39;s Office officials have closed the entrance to Burning Man for the remainder of the event. Please avoid traveling to the area; you will be turned around. All event access is closed. <a href="https://t.co/BY8Rv7eFLD">pic.twitter.com/BY8Rv7eFLD</a>
&mdash; Washoe Sheriff (@WashoeSheriff) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashoeSheriff/status/1698102892610400677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Once the rain had stopped, ankle-deep mud ensured that many remained stranded, at least temporarily, until conditions improved.

Comedian Chris Rock Fled ‘Burning Man,’ Hoofed It 6 Miles Before Someone Gave Him A Lift

Comedian Chris Rock Fled 'Burning Man,' Hoofed It 6 Miles Before Someone Gave Him A Lift

comedian

Culture

Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, and other comedians defended the jokes <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chris-rock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rock</a> made about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/will-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith</a> and Jada Pinkett Smith in his latest Netflix comedy special.
Sandler, 56, came to Rock&#8217;s defense during interviews on the red carpet Sunday before receiving the 2023 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in Washington, D.C., <a href="https://people.com/movies/adam-sandler-reacts-to-chris-rocks-will-and-jada-pinkett-smith-jokes-he-was-real-to-himself/?hid=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc&amp;did=8634243-20230321&amp;utm_source=ppl&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=people-news_newsletter&amp;utm_content=032123&amp;lctg=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a> magazine reported. He said at no time in his life did he ever feel that Rock went too far with his jokes, including in his latest &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-edits-out-botched-chris-rock-joke-about-will-smith-during-selective-outrage-special" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selective Outrage</a>&#8221; show.
&#8220;I thought he was unbelievably relaxed, funny, thoughtful,&#8221; Sandler said. &#8220;Crushed it and was real to himself.&#8221;
&#8220;And it was as exciting to watch as when the Super Bowl is on,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I thought about it all weekend. &#8216;All right, Rock is doing his thing tonight!&#8217; Saturday, watched it in my kitchen, laughed my ass off, immediately watched it right after. It was one of the best experiences. I thought it was amazing.&#8221;
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Adam Sandler defends friend Chris Rock’s ‘never’ too far Will Smith jokes <a href="https://t.co/PnMqd7fG16">https://t.co/PnMqd7fG16</a> <a href="https://t.co/rh0mxfkOby">pic.twitter.com/rh0mxfkOby</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1638221445602975745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Former &#8220;Saturday Night Live&#8221; star Schneider said that Rock &#8220;really does set the bar&#8221; and was just as good as ever.
&#8220;He&#8217;s able to take really complex societal ideas and make them hilarious and bring us on board to some place of sanity, some place of reason,&#8221; said Schneider. &#8220;He&#8217;s so hilariously reasonable. He subverts us to his point of view, and that&#8217;s his genius. And modern comedy changed after Chris Rock, truthfully, 25 years ago.&#8221;
Actor and comedian Dana Carvey went even further in his defense of Rock&#8217;s material.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a million opinions so there&#8217;s kind of no such thing as too far because it&#8217;s called, &#8216;I don&#8217;t like it, me turn off, you know?'&#8221; Carvey said.
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&#8220;If it was government order that you had to watch it then you would be allowed to be offended,&#8221; Carvey added on the red carpet. &#8220;That was just pure unadulterated Chris Rock brilliance, the entire thing. He was on point and that&#8217;s really difficult, what we did, and whether there was real emotion and comedy mixed at the end, that&#8217;s for anyone else to observe but it was quite an achievement.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megyn-kelly-has-one-word-response-to-learning-will-smith-was-hurt-and-embarrassed-after-chris-rock-special">Megyn Kelly Has One-Word Response To Learning Will Smith Was &#8216;Hurt&#8217; And &#8216;Embarrassed&#8217; After Chris Rock Special</a>

2013 MTV Movie Awards – Show

Comedians Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider And More Defend Chris Rock’s Will Smith Jokes

Adam Sandler

Cancel Culture

Comedy

Netflix

Netflix has edited out a botched joke Chris Rock cracked about actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/will-smith">Will Smith</a> during his &#8220;Selective Outrage&#8221; special that aired live on March 4.
In the special, the 58-year-old comedian unleashed jokes involving Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as he recalled a conversation he reportedly had with the Hollywood couple about the time he hosted the 2016 Oscars, The <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/chris-rock-will-smith-joke-edited-selective-outrage-1235347226/">Hollywood Reporter</a> reported.
&#8220;Years ago, his [Smith] wife said I should quit the Oscars; I shouldn&#8217;t host &#8217;cause her man didn&#8217;t get nominated for &#8216;Emancipation,&#8217; the biggest piece of s*** ever!&#8221; Rock told the crowd, before he corrected himself.
&#8220;No, not Emancipation, I f***ed up the joke,&#8221; he added. &#8220;She started this s***. She said that me, a f***ing grown-a** man, should quit his job because, &#8216;My husband didn&#8217;t get nominated for &#8216;Concussion.'&#8221;
The film the comedian meant to say was Smith&#8217;s 2015 film &#8220;Concussion&#8221; by director Peter Landesman. The actual moment Rock was referencing took place the same year that Pinkett Smith boycotted the ceremony amid the #OscarsSoWhite movement, the outlet noted.
However, subscribers of the streaming site will not see the joke in the replay version after the flub was edited out.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Chris Rock’s botched Will Smith joke edited out of Netflix special <a href="https://t.co/u7Q4VNbKtj">https://t.co/u7Q4VNbKtj</a> <a href="https://t.co/mW9E1JJqy2">pic.twitter.com/mW9E1JJqy2</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1634221507885907970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The outlet noted that a source informed them that Rock is aware of the edit and helped Netflix finalize the cut of the special.
In <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-rock-torches-wokeness-meghan-markle-and-will-smith-in-netflix-special-dont-fall-into-the-woke-trap">Rock&#8217;s</a> special, the comedian took several swipes at Smith and his wife.
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&#8220;Anybody that says that words hurt has never been punched in the face,&#8221; the comedian told the audience. &#8220;Words hurt when you write them on a brick.&#8221;
He said Smith exhibited &#8220;selective outrage&#8221; when <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-smith-struck-chris-rock-in-the-face-at-oscars-after-he-cracked-a-joke-about-jada-pinkett-smiths-hair-loss">he slapped him</a> last year at the Oscars.
&#8220;Will Smith practices selective outrage because everyone that knows what happened, everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s***,&#8221; Rock shared. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t have any entanglements. His wife was f***** her son&#8217;s friend.&#8221;
&#8220;Now I normally wouldn&#8217;t talk about this s***,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But for some reason these n****** put that s*** on the internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that f***** low down. What the f***.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;ve all been cheated on, everybody in here has been cheated on,&#8221; the comedian continued. &#8220;None of us have been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television, like, &#8216;Hey I was sucking somebody else&#8217;s d***, how did that make you feel?&#8217; Why the f*** would you do that s***?&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megyn-kelly-has-one-word-response-to-learning-will-smith-was-hurt-and-embarrassed-after-chris-rock-special">Megyn Kelly Has One-Word Response To Learning Will Smith Was &#8216;Hurt&#8217; And &#8216;Embarrassed&#8217; After Chris Rock Special</a>

Chris Rock Performs In Concert – Austin, TX

Netflix Edits Out Botched Chris Rock Joke About Will Smith During ‘Selective Outrage’ Special

Netflix Edits Out Botched Chris Rock Joke About Will Smith During 'Selective Outrage' Special

Megyn Kelly had a one-word response after learning that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/will-smith">Will Smith</a> was reportedly &#8220;hurt&#8221; and &#8220;embarrassed&#8221; over the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chris-rock">Chris Rock</a> Netflix special in which the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-rock-torches-wokeness-meghan-markle-and-will-smith-in-netflix-special-dont-fall-into-the-woke-trap">comedian blasted</a> Smith for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-smith-struck-chris-rock-in-the-face-at-oscars-after-he-cracked-a-joke-about-jada-pinkett-smiths-hair-loss">slapping him</a> during last year&#8217;s Academy Awards show.
The Sirius XM podcast host <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1633839431479361536?s=20">tweeted</a> a headline from The <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/09/will-smith-embarrassed-over-chris-rock-netflix-special-report/">New York Post</a> to her two million followers that read, &#8220;Will Smith &#8217;embarrassed, hurt&#8217; over Chris Rock&#8217;s comments in Netflix special: report.&#8221;
She wrote in response, &#8220;Dude.&#8221;
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Dude <a href="https://t.co/Vx7eTN9flC">https://t.co/Vx7eTN9flC</a>
&mdash; Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1633839431479361536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A source told <a href="https://www.etonline.com/why-will-smith-did-not-watch-chris-rocks-distasteful-netflix-comedy-special-200360">Entertainment Tonight</a> that Smith had not seen what he called Rock&#8217;s &#8220;distasteful&#8221; performance that was broadcast live on the streaming platform on Saturday night.
&#8220;Will is embarrassed and hurt by what Chris said about him and his family in his Netflix special,&#8221; a source explained. &#8220;He [Smith] didn&#8217;t watch it, but he had people tell him what Chris said.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s everywhere when you look online and on social media, so Will and Jada [Pinkett Smith] have seen comments about it,&#8221; the source added. &#8220;Will apologized to Chris and would like for Chris to let it go. Will has worked on himself and he is banned by the Oscars for 10 years. He feels like that&#8217;s enough and wants Chris to move on, so that he and everyone else can too.&#8221;
In Rock&#8217;s special, titled &#8220;Selective Outrage,&#8221; the 58-year-old took several swipes at Smith and his wife, Jada.
&#8220;Anybody that says that words hurt has never been punched in the face,&#8221; Rock told the audience. &#8220;Words hurt when you write them on a brick.&#8221;
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He said Smith exhibited &#8220;selective outrage&#8221; when he slapped him last year at the Oscars because his wife had been unfaithful.
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&#8220;Will Smith practices selective outrage because everyone that knows what happened, everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s***,&#8221; Rock shared. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t have any entanglements. His wife was f***** her son&#8217;s friend.&#8221;
&#8220;Now I normally wouldn’t talk about this s***,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But for some reason these n****** put that s*** on the internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that f***** low down. What the f***.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;ve all been cheated on, everybody in here has been cheated on,&#8221; the comedian continued. &#8220;None of us have been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television, like, &#8216;Hey I was sucking somebody else&#8217;s d***, how did that make you feel?&#8217; Why the f*** would you do that s***?&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-kimmel-reveals-how-hell-handle-another-slap-if-it-happens-when-hes-hosting-oscars">Jimmy Kimmel Reveals How He&#8217;ll Handle Another Slap If It Happens When He&#8217;s Hosting Oscars</a>
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Megyn Kelly_Will Smith-2

Megyn Kelly Has One-Word Response To Learning Will Smith Was ‘Hurt’ And ‘Embarrassed’ After Chris Rock Special

Megyn Kelly Has One-Word Response To Learning Will Smith Was 'Hurt' And 'Embarrassed' After Chris Rock Special

Megyn Kelly

Chris Rock’s 2022 hosting stint at the Oscars got an obscene amount of attention at the time, and now it’s being talked about all over again as the comedian is finally cracking jokes about it. But Rock fans surely remember that this isn’t the first time Rock was involved with drama and controversy while hosting Hollywood’s biggest night.
Besides some vague references to Oscar winner Will Smith storming onto the stage to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-academy-admits-its-response-to-will-smiths-oscars-slap-was-inadequate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slap him</a>, Rock hadn’t really dug into the incident until right now. His Netflix special “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-rock-torches-wokeness-meghan-markle-and-will-smith-in-netflix-special-dont-fall-into-the-woke-trap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selective Outrage</a>” debuted on March 4, just over a week before the 95th Annual Academy Awards premiere. It’s hard to believe that this timing wasn’t intentional.
“Anybody that says that words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock said during the performance as the audience laughed. “Words hurt when you write them on a brick.”
The 58-year-old celebrity also talked in-depth about the slap and Smith’s motivation behind it. Smith was reacting to Rock joking about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head. Rock saying, “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can&#8217;t wait to see it” was enough to make Will jump out of his seat and slap Rock while repeating, “Keep my wife&#8217;s name out of your f***ing mouth!&#8221;
This could be seen as an example of an overprotective spouse. But Rock insists that Will’s reaction was more about the Smith’s complicated relationship. The pair have been open about Jada’s infidelity. She even interviewed her husband during an episode of her talk show “Red Table Talk” and had him confront his feelings about these “entanglements” publicly.
“Will Smith practices selective outrage because everyone that knows what happened, everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s***. I didn’t have any entanglements,” Rock says during the stand-up special “His wife was f***ing her son’s friend.”
“Now I normally wouldn’t talk about this s***,” Rock continued. “But for some reason these n****** put that s*** on the internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that f***ing low down.” he said.
“We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here has been cheated on. None of us have been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television&#8230;&#8221;
Fans will likely remember that 2022 was not Rock’s first time hosting the Academy Awards. The Emmy Award-winning actor first hosted in 2005 and while the drama then wasn’t as big as “slapgate,” there was a bit of controversy that time, too.
Rock came under fire for mocking the ceremony before he even took the stage.
&#8220;Come on, it&#8217;s a fashion show,&#8221; the comedian <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130923063025/http://www.smh.com.au/news/Oscars-2005/Chris-Rock-Oscars-host-slams-Oscars/2005/02/16/1108500124826.html">told</a> Entertainment Weekly ahead of the broadcast that year. &#8220;What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one. And they don&#8217;t recognize comedy, and you don&#8217;t see a lot of black people nominated, so why should I watch it?&#8221;
While onstage, Rock joked about Jude Law being a second-rate Tom Cruise, which earned him a scolding from Sean Penn. The actor admonished Rock, saying, &#8220;Forgive my compromised sense of humor but I did want to answer our host’s question about who Jude Law is. He’s one of our finest actors.”
Despite these minor incidents, Rock was invited back to host in 2016. The comedian was asked to boycott the Academy Awards in protest of the fact that no black actors were nominated that year, but he declined. The “Saturday Night Live” alum did address racism during his time onstage, however. 
“Is Hollywood racist?” he said <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/29/chris-rock-at-the-oscars-youre-damn-right-hollywoods-racist">during the presentation</a>. “You’re damn right Hollywood’s racist.” Rock explained his belief that the industry was not “burning cross racist &#8230; it’s a different type of racist.”
Rock went on to say that the people he’s talking about, “don’t hire black people and they’re the nicest white people on earth; they’re liberals.”
He said their form of racist behavior is “sorority racist, like ‘We like you, Ronda, but you’re not a Kappa.’”
In a rare moment of foreshadowing, Rock also mocked Will and Jada Pinkett Smith for skipping the 2016 ceremony.
“Jada got mad, she said she’s not coming. Doesn’t she have a TV show? Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties – I wasn’t invited!” he quipped, adding, “You get mad that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated” [for his role in ‘Concussion’]. “It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20 million to do ‘Wild Wild West.’”
He also mentioned the calls to boycott. 
“‘Chris, you should boycott, you should quit’ – how come it’s always unemployed people that tell you to quit something?” Rock said. “I thought about it really hard but they’re not going to cancel the Oscars because I quit, and the last thing I need is to lose another job to Kevin Hart.”
Rock ended the speech by saying, “black lives matter” while raising his fist.
It’s unclear if the “Death at a Funeral” star will ever be asked to host the Academy Awards again. But this year’s host Jimmy Kimmel, who is also taking the stage for the third time, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-kimmel-reveals-how-hell-handle-another-slap-if-it-happens-when-hes-hosting-oscars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently discussed</a> what he plans to do if anyone assaults him during the presentation.
When asked how he’d handle a slap, Kimmel <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/jimmy-kimmel-oscars-hosting-slap-1235340569/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Hollywood Reporter, “Well, I size them up, and, if I’m bigger than they are, I beat the s*** out of them on television. And if it’s the Rock, I run.”

TOPSHOT-US-ENTERTAINMENT-FILM-OSCARS-SHOW

Chris Rock Faced Oscars Hosting Controversies Long Before The Slap

Jimmy Kimmel revealed how he would handle things on Sunday as the host of the 95th Academy Awards if someone were to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-smith-struck-chris-rock-in-the-face-at-oscars-after-he-cracked-a-joke-about-jada-pinkett-smiths-hair-loss">slap him in the face,</a> like when actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/will-smith">Will Smith</a> struck host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chris-rock">Chris Rock</a> during last year&#8217;s ceremony.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jimmy-kimmel">55-year-old</a> late-night host told <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/jimmy-kimmel-oscars-hosting-slap-1235340569/">The Hollywood Reporter</a> that he might react differently than Rock did in 2022, depending on who is coming at him.
&#8220;You mean, if somebody comes up on the stage and slaps me?&#8221; the host asked. &#8220;Well, I size them up, and, if I’m bigger than they are, I beat the s*** out of them on television. And if it’s the Rock, I run.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We landed 🛩 on <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmykimmel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jimmykimmel</a> to host The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a> this Sunday, and third time&#39;s the charm! 👏 Watch live at 8e/5p on ABC. <a href="https://t.co/BPEbIoVx6K">https://t.co/BPEbIoVx6K</a>
&mdash; ABC (@ABCNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABCNetwork/status/1632652239260057601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He also acknowledged that his opening monologue would &#8220;have to be great&#8230;because so much has been said and there&#8217;s so much focus on&#8221; last year&#8217;s controversy.
&#8220;I obviously don&#8217;t want to make the whole monologue about that, but it would be ridiculous not to mention it,&#8221; said Kimmel.
At one point, he also said he couldn&#8217;t really worry about the ratings because &#8220;it&#8217;s not something&#8221; he really has any control over.
&#8220;We&#8217;re excited that there are movies [nominated that] people have seen, so we&#8217;re hoping more people watch, but who the hell knows?&#8221; the host replied. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of focus put on the ratings of these award shows and it&#8217;s used as a gauge in some ways, but it has almost nothing to do with the award shows themselves and everything to do with television viewing habits in general.&#8221;
This year&#8217;s show will be the &#8220;Jimmy Kimmel Live&#8221; host&#8217;s third time emceeing the Oscars after first getting the job in 2017 and again in 2019.
&#8220;It&#8217;s so important to have a host who knows how to handle live television and a live audience,&#8221; Academy CEO Bill Kramer noted recently about Kimmel. &#8220;He&#8217;s funny, he&#8217;s respectful, his edges aren&#8217;t too sharp.&#8221;
The 95th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. It will be broadcast on ABC at 8e/5p.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kimmel-slams-aaron-rodgers-as-tin-foil-hatter-over-wanting-to-see-epstein-client-list-teammate-defends-him">Kimmel Slams Aaron Rodgers As &#8216;Tin-Foil&#8217; Hatter Over Wanting To See Epstein Client List, Teammate Defends Him</a>

2018 Disney/ABC/Freeform Upfront

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals How He’ll Handle Another Slap If It Happens When He’s Hosting Oscars

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals How He'll Handle Another Slap If It Happens When He's Hosting Oscars

He stalked the stage like a panther. An animal, a predator. And he went there. Oh man did he go there.
Every time I think Dave Chappelle is the best, Chris Rock comes along and knocks him off the top perch. On Saturday night, Rock held court on a Baltimore stage in the first-ever live Netflix comedy special.
The special&#8217;s title: &#8220;Selective Outrage.&#8221;
On abortion: &#8220;If you need to pay for your own abortion, you need to get an abortion.&#8221;
On woke culture: &#8220;Right now we live in a world where the emergency room is filled up with motherf***ers with paper cuts.&#8221;
On Meghan Markle: &#8220;It’s the royal family. They’re the original racists. They invented colonialism. They are the OG’s of racism.&#8221;
But everyone was waiting for him to address &#8220;the slap heard &#8217;round the world.&#8221; Actor Will Smith slapped Rock nearly a year ago on the Oscars stage, and Rock has spoken about the incident only sparingly.
Not Saturday night. You&#8217;ll have to watch the special to get the real flavor, but here&#8217;s the cleaned-up version.
&#8220;Will Smith practices selective outrage because everyone that knows what happened, everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s***. I didn’t have any entanglements,” Rock said.
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&#8220;Now I normally wouldn’t talk about this s***. But for some reason these n***** put that s*** on the internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that f***** low down. What the f***?” he said.
&#8220;We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here has been cheated on. None of us have been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television, like, &#8216;Hey I was sucking somebody else’s d***, how did that make you feel?&#8217; Why the f*** would you do that s***?”
Of Jada Pinkett-Smith, Rock said: &#8220;Nobody&#8217;s picking on this b****, she started it. Nobody was picking on her. And then this n**** gives me a f*** concussion, OK. What the f***, man?&#8221;
Why did Rock just stand there and take the slap? He addressed that, too.
&#8220;A lot of people are like, &#8216;Chris why didn’t you do nothing back?&#8217; Because I got parents that’s why, because I was raised. And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.&#8221;
With that, he dropped the mic and walked off. Next to him was a very &#8212; very &#8212; large bodyguard. In this world of selective outrage, even comedians now need protection.
The show got off to a fiery start. Just 30 seconds in, as Rock said, &#8220;I&#8217;m gonna&#8217; try to do a show without offending anyone,&#8221; someone in the crowd was shouting something. Rock right away showed who was in charge: &#8220;N**** sit down!&#8221;
The heckler was never heard from again.
Rock is among the top social commentators of our time &#8212; think a modern-day Mark Twain. Remember, this is the man who did &#8220;N***** Vs. Black People&#8221; back in 1997, saying the former glorify ignorance and laziness and brag about fulfilling even the most minute responsibility.
On Saturday, the 58-year-old comedian got right to the issue of the day, unworried about being canceled. He opened by taking shots at people who get “triggered” and believe that “words hurt.”
&#8220;You never know who might get triggered. You say the wrong thing, motherf***ers get scared. You know what people say, &#8216;Words hurt.&#8217; Anybody that says that words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock said. “Words hurt &#8212; when you write them on a brick.”
And Rock delivered some advice. &#8220;Don’t fall into the woke trap at all.&#8221; He said he supports equal rights for all people and social justice.
&#8220;The thing I have a problem with is the selective outrage. One person does something, they get canceled. Somebody does the exact same thing, nothing.&#8221;
That phenomenon Rock dubbed &#8220;selective outrage.&#8221;
Just a couple days after Hershey&#8217;s released a candy bar on International Women&#8217;s Day that featured a transgender &#8212; the wrapper said &#8220;HerShe&#8221; &#8212; Rock took aim at all the woke businesses out there, trying to pitch their social awareness to sell more product.
&#8220;&#8216;We like to give back. We don&#8217;t even like the money. We like to give back.&#8217; I was in the mall the other day, I went by the store Lululemon, I walk by and in the window of every Lululemon there’s a sign that says, ‘We don’t support racism, sexism, discrimination, or hate,&#8217;” he said. “And I’m like, ‘who gives a f&#8212;?’ You’re just selling yoga pants. I don’t need your yoga pants politics. Tell me how you work on b&#8212; sweat.&#8221;
Rock later hit an easy target &#8212; the royal family. He shredded Meghan Markle, who is half black, for playing the victim. She claimed on a show with Oprah Winfrey that members of the royal family questioned how black a baby would be with her ultra-white husband, Prince Harry.
&#8220;&#8216;Oprah, they’re so racist they wanted to know how brown the baby was going to be,'&#8221; Rock said, playing Markle. &#8220;I’m like, ‘That’s not racist, because even black people want to know how brown the baby going to be. S***, we check behind the ears. That’s a scientific test because you’ve got to know what kind of black child you going to get,&#8217;” he said.
&#8220;I know her dilemma: black girl trying to be accepted by her white in-laws. Oh, it’s hard. It’s so hard, it’s very hard – but it ain’t as hard as a white girl trying to be accepted by her black in-laws. Now that s*** is really hard,” he said. &#8220;I’m like, ‘If you black and you wanted to be accepted by your white in-laws then you need to marry a Kardashian because they accept everybody.'&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Be Happy You’re Alive In The Age Of Chris Rock, The Modern-Day Mark Twain

Be Happy You're Alive In The Age Of Chris Rock, The Modern-Day Mark Twain

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