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Chris Rock Talks About Forgiving Will Smith For Oscar Slap; This Is What He Said

BY Nii Ogbamey Tetteh March 9, 2025 11:17 AM EDT
Photo Source: Instagram/@chrisrock, @willsmith

Actor Chris Rock may be getting over the bad blood between him and Will Smith.

He appears to be undecided about hosting the Oscars in the future but may want to forgive Smith for slapping him at the event three years ago.

READ ALSO: Will Smith Alleges That Chris Rock ‘Ruined His Life’ After Oscars Slap 

Asked if he would be interested in hosting the show again, Chris Rock replied: “You never know.” He reportedly made the remarks while attending this year’s Oscars Vanity party with his daughter, Zahra, on March 2.

About forgiving Will Smith, he noted: “…This is what I would say, the most miserable people on earth are people that can’t forgive.

READ ALSO: Tension As Bad Boys 4 Reignites Will Smith And Chris Rock Feud

“…And not just people, you have to forgive yourself sometimes. So, hey, you never know…I live in forgiveness…True love starts at forgiveness,” he told an outlet.

Some fans reacted to Rock’s interview online, indicating that he may not want to joke about someone’s sick wife in the future, if he got the opportunity to host the show again.

READ ALSO: Will Smith Recalls Last Words With Notorious B.I.G Hours Prior To His Shooting

“Maybe this time he won’t make a joke about someone’s sick wife! That really showed poor judgement” a follower wrote.  Another added: “His jokes were not funny last time. Why figure they would be if given another chance?”

Others suggested that the show should focus on finding a host with “great charisma” instead of a comedian.

READ ALSO: Fans React As News Of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Living Separately Goes Viral

Three years ago, Rock was on stage telling a joke when he took a jab at Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her bald head.

Shortly after the joke, Smith marched up on stage and gave Rock a swift slap across the face. After he returned to his seat, Smith warned Rock to keep his wife’s name out of any joke.

READ ALSO: Beautiful Scars: Video For Will Smith and Big Sean’s Latest Single Gets Over 56,000 views Four Hours After Release

That night, Smith earned his first Oscar Award for his role in King Richard and received a 10-year ban from attending future Oscar award shows.

Will Smith reportedly sent an apology to Rock via video about four months after the slap at the Oscars but Rock did not accept.

READ ALSO: Los Angeles Wildfires: Will Smith’s $42 Million Malibu Mansion Burnt To Ashes

In January, an outlet reported that Smith “will never forgive Chris for ruining his life, even though he had managed to pick up the pieces. Months after the slap, it was reported that Chris was still haunted by what happened on that Oscars stage.

In the fall of 2024, Chris Rock released an animated version of his series Everybody Hates Chris, which was slightly based on his childhood.

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