Another Rock has spoken out regarding Slapgate; Chris Rock‘s brother, Tony Rock. Defending the most infamous moments of the Oscars 2022, when Will Smith slapped Chris across the face after a joke he made about Jada Pinkett-Smith‘s hair. The slap heard around the world has continued to cause reverberations, and Tony didn’t hold back when he discussed the moment in a new stand-up routine.
In the clip posted to YouTube, Tony jokes to a substantial crowd that if they don’t like what he has to say onstage, they have one option of what to do: absolutely nothing. “If you think you’re gonna walk up on this stage,” he said, “this ain’t the Oscars. If you walk your a** up here, you ain’t nominated for s**t but these hands!” The quip clearly skewered the moment when Will laid his own hands on Chris, which had Will’s family speaking out in support and certain pearl-clutching Oscar hosts claiming their own trauma from simply witnessing the moment.
As the audience erupted in cheers while Tony strutted the stage in an orange jacket and white graphic tee, he made it clear he’s 100% on Team Chris, just like the rest of his brothers. “You want to hit my brother?” he questioned. “Oh there’s a lot of Rock brothers, there’s 10 Rock brothers, there’s a lot of us.” He continued: “I didn’t want to start the show like that but I just want to let y’all know, that ain’t gonna ride. I don’t got a lot to lose.”
The entire ordeal began during the Oscars last Sunday night, where Chris hosted and Will was nominated for (and eventually won) a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard. As Chris presented the award for Best Documentary feature, he made a remark about Jada’s bald head (the actress suffers from alopecia, a condition that results in hair loss.) Chris’ joke immediately had Will headed to the stage, with nothing to say but a direct and shocking slap across the face that sent Chris stumbling. As he returned to his seat, he shouted: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.”
Though Chris chose not to press charges during the incident after the LAPD initiated an assault investigation, the backlash against Will was swift, and he recently announced he would be resigning his membership from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences due to the incident. In a statement, he shared: “The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.”