Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle have hinted that they suspect Will Smith will now be seen as more human following the infamous ‘slapping’ incident that occurred during the 2022 Oscars ceremony in March.
Comedy star Chris, 57, was hit square in the face by 53-year-old Will after a joke was cracked about the Hollywood actor’s 50-year-old wife, Jada.
Chris has been reasonably tight lipped over the incident - but opened up about the night while on stage with Dave, 49, in Liverpool this week.
And while Chris effectively laughed off the fact he was slapped in the face on international TV, the pair suggested that Will had been held to too high a standard for too long by fans - who will now see him as more human.
Asked by Dave if the slap hurt, Chris joked: “Goddamn right … the motherf**ker hit me over a bulls**t joke, the nicest joke I ever told.”
And the Daily Mail claims Dave continued: “Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us.
“Whatever the consequences are … I hope he doesn’t put his mask back on again and lets his real face breathe. I see myself in both men.”
The discussion marked a rare moment of Chris opening up about the infamous slap.
He told an audience at London back in May: "Don't expect me to talk about the bulls**t. I'll talk about it at some point — on Netflix. Your tickets were expensive, but not that expensive."
And he told US Weekly the following month: “Yeah, that sh*t hurt, motherf**ker. But I shook that sh-t off and went to work the next day ... I don't go to the hospital for a papercut."
Meanwhile Will himself has apologised for the incident - taking to instagram the day after the Oscars to make a first public apology.
He wrote online: “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.
“I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
Will continued: “I would also like to apologize to The Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family.”
He added: “I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”
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