Comedian Chris Rock has turned down an offer to host the Academy Awards in 2023.
During a stand-up show on Sunday, Rock told the audience that he turned down the opportunity to host the Academy Awards for the third time, citing an incident in March in which actor Will Smith slapped him on stage.
The comedian told the Arizona Republic that accepting the invitation would be like returning to a crime scene.
According to additional reports, Rock also stated that he turned down an offer to appear in a Super Bowl commercial following the incident and that Smith’s slap was physically painful.
Will Smith approached Rock on the stage during the 2022 Oscars and slapped and insulted him after he made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Will later apologized to Rock, the Academy, his family, and the cast and crew of ‘King Richard,’ for which Smith received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
“So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you,” he said with visible contrition. “My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
