Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Chris Rock, Will Smith, Netflix
Ben Thompson
Chris Rock has shared a brutal joke that was left out of his Netflix special - and it pulled no punches, so to speak.
The 58-year-old comedian made the remark while appearing at the Mark Twain Prize for American Humour to honour his long-time friend Adam Sandler.
Rock wasn't the only person paying tribute to Sandler last night, as he was joined by other famous faces including Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Steve Buscemi and Conan O'Brien.
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Speaking to the audience, Rock revealed he would be sharing some jokes that didn't make the cut of his recent Netflix special Selective Outrage.
The special spared no expense with jokes skewering everything from Meghan Markle to the Will Smith fiasco at the Oscars.
Smith famously struck Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards when the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's lack of hair.
Referring to the incident, Rock quipped on Sunday night: "Paul Pelosi [is] the only guy who knows how I felt.
"Just you and me, Paul."
This joke was making reference to Paul Pelosi, the husband of Nancy Pelosi, who was attacked in his San Francisco home in October 2022.
When he was struck with a hammer by an intruder, the 82-year-old was left with a skull fracture for which he had to undergo surgery.
According to his wife, Pelosi is 'still recovering' although it will take 'a little time' for things to get back to normal.
Even without this joke, Rock had wasted no time in laying into Smith, who publicly apologised for the incident in August last year.
On his special, Rock remarked: "I'm not a victim, baby.
"You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle, crying. You will never see it, never gonna happen... I took that hit like Pacquiao.
"I know you can't tell on camera - Will Smith is significantly bigger than me.
"We are not the same size, OK? Will Smith does movies with his shirt off. You've never seen me do a movie with my shift off.
"If I'm in a movie getting open heart surgery, I've got on a sweater. Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in a movie."
Rock even worked in a reference to Smith's latest movie.
"And now, I watch Emancipation just to see him get whooped," he jokes, referencing Smith's film in which he plays a slave who escapes captivity and goes to fight with Abraham Lincoln's army during the American Civil War.