By Judith Gicobi
An invitation to host the 2023 Oscars Academy Awards was reportedly declined by comedian Chris Rock.
In a stand-up performance on Sunday, Rock informed the audience that he had turned down the offer to host the Awards for a third time due to an on-stage altercation with actor Will Smith in March.
The comedian said, according to the Arizona Republic, that accepting the offer would be like going back to a crime scene.
Additionally, in several accounts, Rock stated that Smith’s slap had been physically painful and mentioned that he had declined a Super Bowl advertising deal as a result of the event.
“He’s bigger than me. A fight between Will Smith and I would not be approved by the state of Nevada,” Rock was quoted by Arizona Republic.
Will Smith stormed and slapped Rock on stage during the March 2022 Oscars after he made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Smith would eventually apologize to Rock, the Academy, his family, the cast, and crew of “King Richard,” the movie for which will received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
The renowned actor uploaded a video of himself apologizing in July, saying he had been “doing a lot of thinking and personal work.”
