Chris Rock’s Brother Shuts Down Will Smith’s Apology Following Oscar Slap
on Mar 30, 2022 • Updated Mar 08, 2023
Tony Rock, younger brother of comedian Chris Rock, has responded to Will Smith‘s now-famous slap of Chris during Sunday night’s Academy Awards show.
On Tuesday, Tony took to Twitter to answer questions from fans, most of which revolved around Sunday night’s on-stage clash. Tony’s responses were brief and to the point, but left no question about where he stood on the matter. He made it clear that his brother was fine following the incident, and was “still rich.” He also stated that he felt the Oscar fiasco was “foul,” that he doesn’t approve of Will’s apology posted Monday, and that rapper Sean “P. Diddy” Combs was lying when he said Will and Chris had made up.
All of them are fine. https://t.co/yigXld2GwC
— Tony Rock (@TONYROCK) March 29, 2022
Still rich. https://t.co/Mt5a6z1Yc8
— Tony Rock (@TONYROCK) March 30, 2022
— Tony Rock (@TONYROCK) March 30, 2022
— Tony Rock (@TONYROCK) March 30, 2022
The confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock went down when Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, from the stage where he was presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature.
“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2…can’t wait to see it,” Rock said to Pinkett Smith, who has been open about her battle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that leads to hair loss.
Will Smith walked to the stage where he slapped Chris Rock across the face. A shocked Chris watched as Smith made his way back to his seat before yelling, “Keep my wife’s name out of your ****ing mouth!”
According to authorities, Rock declined to press charges against Smith, who was later awarded the trophy for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Smith took to social media 24 hours later to issue a public apology to Rock and added that he was embarrassed by his actions.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” Will wrote.
“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,” the actor said before extending his apology to the Academy and all who witnessed his outburst.
“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. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”
Chris Rock has yet to speak publicly about the confrontation, but will be making his first public appearance Wednesday night (March 30) at Wilbur Theater in Boston as part of his Ego Death World Tour.
