Chris Rock told a crown in Phoenix, Arizona that he turned down the opportunity to host the 2023 Academy Awards.
Rock was slapped by Will Smith live on-air after making a G.I. Joe jokes about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock compared returning to the Oscars like returning “to the scene of a crime” — referencing the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. Rock said going back to host the Oscars would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant.”
Weeks ago, Smith released a video apologizing to Rock.
“I’ve spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment,” he said. “I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now. But I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
He claimed he reached out to Rock but the comedian is not ready to talk.
