A heckler who interrupted Chris Rock’s first comedy show since the Oscars slap to shout “Will Smith” was reportedly escorted out by security.
Rock, who is currently on tour with his live show Ego Death, publicly addressed Smith hitting him onstage at the Oscars for the first time at his sold-out show in Boston’s Wilbur Theatre on Wednesday (30 March).
Smith struck and swore at Rock after the 57-year-old comedian made a joke about the appearance of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, live on stage at the Oscars awards ceremony. The slap made headlines around the world and Smith is now facing the prospect of disciplinary action from the Academy.
Rock spoke about the incident for the first time in his opening comments to the audience on Wednesday night (30 March), stating that he was “still processing” the altercation.
It has also been reported that two hecklers tried separately to interrupt Rock’s performance at Wilbur Theatre, shouting “WIll Smith” during his live set.
These chants were met with louder “boo”s from other audience members, Daily Mail reported.
When it happened again, the heckler was escorted out of the premises by security, prompting Rock to ask: “Is this how this tour is going to go?”
During the show, Rock said that he hadn’t spoken to Smith “despite what you heard” and that he wouldn’t be making any further comments on the incident at the time.
“I’m still processing what happened, so at some point I’ll talk about that s***,” he said. “It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny, but right now I’m going to tell some jokes.”
The Academy has said it had initiated “disciplinary proceedings” against Smith for violating its Standards of Conduct, “including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behaviour, and compromising the integrity of the Academy”.
In its statement, the Academy also revealed that Smith was asked to leave the ceremony but “refused”.
Smith publicly apologised to Rock on Monday (28 March), acknowledging that he was “out of line” and “wrong”.
Find the full list of 2022 Oscar winners here. See the latest updates and reactions from the dramatic ceremony here, and read about the biggest talking points here.
