KEY POINTS

  • Chris Rock referenced Will Smith slapping him at the Oscars during a stand-up show in New Jersey Sunday
  • The comedian insisted he wasn't a victim and said he went back to work right after the incident
  • Rock reportedly referred to Smith as "Suge Smith," possibly referencing incarcerated Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight

Chris Rock insisted he is "not a victim" as he joked about Will Smith slapping him at the Oscars during a recent stand-up show.

Rock referenced the March incident during his set at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, Sunday, Us Weekly reported.

An unnamed eyewitness told the outlet that the 57-year-old comedian joked, "Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face."

According to the eyewitness, Rock also called Smith, 53, "Suge Smith," a possible reference to the currently-incarcerated Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight.

Later in the show, Rock talked about people being overly sensitive and playing the victim, declaring that he isn't one of them.

"I'm not a victim, mother–ker," he said, before joking that he "shook that s–t off" and returned to work.

"Yeah, that sh-t hurt, mother–ker" he continued. "But I shook that s–t off and went to work the next day … I don't go to the hospital for a papercut."

Rock's comments come four months after Smith slapped him onstage for joking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head when he was about to present an award at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 28.

Smith, who won the Oscar for best actor shortly after slapping Rock, immediately issued an apology and was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years.

Last month, Pinkett Smith said on her Facebook Watch show "Red Table Talk" that she was hopeful her husband and Rock would "have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile."

Rock headlined the Sunday show alongside fellow comedian Kevin Hart, who also spoke about the Oscars altercation at the premiere of his animated movie "DC League of Super-Pets" in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Hart expressed his hope for Smith and Rock to find comfort following the incident.

"Will is apologetic, you know, he's in a better space, of course, than what he was after," Hart told Entertainment Tonight. "People are human, and as humans, sometimes we make mistakes. So it's not about talking about the past, it's about acknowledging the present and doing your best to move forward."

It wasn't the first time Rock joked about the infamous slap. During a show at London's Royal Albert Hall in May, he gave fans an update on how he was doing.

"I'm OK, in case anyone was wondering. I got most of my hearing back, and I'm trying to make a decent show," he said.

In the same show, he criticized the sensitivity of the modern world, noting that most people are now "scared of offending" and thus there is less conversation and more "nodding."

"[People say] you've got to be careful because words hurt, words hurt... you know, anybody who's ever said words hurt has never been punched in the face," Rock joked.

Chris Rock
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Chris Rock speaks onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images