Chris Rock claims he has turned down hosting Oscars next year by making distasteful joke
Chris Rock has claimed that he's turned down an offer to host next year's Oscars - using a rather distasteful analogy to explain why.
The comedian hosted the 94th Academy Awards back in March, and you may recall it wasn't one of his jokes that made headlines, it was Will Smith walking up on stage and smacking him across the chops.
The incident shocked Hollywood and the wider world, with the story rumbling on seemingly endlessly (as evidenced by this article, almost half a year on).
Smith was subsequently banned from the Oscars for 10 years, and Rock has now claimed that he won't be returning to hosting duties.
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During a show in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday (28 August), the 57-year-old said he'd been offered to host again but had turned down the offer.
Rock explained his decision by referencing the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, according to Arizona Republic, telling the crowd at Arizona Financial Theatre that going back to the awards ceremony would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson 'to go back to the restaurant' where she left her glasses before being killed.
UNILAD has contacted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for comment.
Rock also claimed during the show that he'd turned down a post-slap Super Bowl advert offer.
In a five-minute video posted on Instagram at the end of last month, Smith addressed a number of questions about 'slapgate' on social media which had been left unanswered as he stepped away from the public eye following the incident.
Asked why he did not apologise to Rock during his best actor acceptance speech for King Richard that came minutes later, the 53-year-old said: "I was fogged out by that point. It's all fuzzy. I have reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he is not ready to talk and when he is he will reach out.
"So I will say to you Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk."
In the video, Smith also apologised to Rock's mother, father and younger brother Tony, an actor, who he said had been 'my man', before adding: "But this is probably irreparable."
He added: "I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened in that moment.
"And I'm not going to try and unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you that there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment.
"There is no part of me that thinks that's the optimal way to handle feelings of disrespect or insults."
Asked whether his wife had prompted his decision to storm the stage and slap Rock in the middle of his presentation of the best documentary award, that was won by Questlove for Summer Of Soul, Smith replied: "No, I made a choice on my own, from my own experience and my history with Chris.
"Jada had nothing to do with it."
Addressing his wife directly, Smith added: "I'm sorry babe, and I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us."
Smith also apologised to the other nominees whose Oscar wins were overshadowed by the furore surrounding the slap, including The Roots frontman Questlove.
"I can still see Questlove's eyes – it happened on Questlove's award – and I am sorry isn't really sufficient," he added.
Concluding the video, Smith said he was 'deeply remorseful and I'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself'.
He added: "If you hang on, I promise we will be able to be friends again."
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Topics: Celebrity, Chris Rock, Oscars
Jake Massey