Chris Rock has laid out the sole condition under which he would return to the Academy Awards.
Rock, 59, said in a sit-down interview published September 8 that he would only attend the Oscars again if he earns a nomination. The comedian, who hosted the 2022 ceremony where Will Smith, 56, slapped him onstage, made clear he does not expect that scenario to materialize.
“I’m not getting nominated. The only way I’ll go back is if I’m nominated, and I’m not getting nominated. And that’s OK. We’ll deal with that if it happens. Like, let’s manage expectations,” Rock said in the interview, his first since the March 2022 incident.
Rock also shut down speculation about a potential return as host, pointing to the current lineup of emcees. “When people answer those questions, they’re being disrespectful to the people that got the gig. They have great hosts. Conan O’Brien is amazing. Nikki Glaser is amazing on the Golden Globes. I’m not going to say never, but my time might have passed, honestly,” he said.
The comedian’s remarks come as he promotes “Misty Green,” his first directorial effort in 12 years, which is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The A24 film stars Rosalind Eleazar as a once-famous actress grappling with her faded stardom.
When asked how he feels about the slap four years later, Rock deflected personal grievance and contextualized the moment against broader suffering. “Hey, man. You know, to answer your question a little bit, I wish nothing would have happened. And also, I don’t want to say anything that takes any attention away from Rosalind and how good she is in this movie. It’s a crazy world. We walk by homeless people. There’s all sorts of sh– going on right now. Me having a bad day is not the biggest — it’s not that important,” he shared.
Rock’s measured response marks a shift from his initial handling of the incident. For more than a year, he remained largely silent about the physical assault before incorporating it into his comedy routine. In his 2023 Netflix special “Selective Outrage,” he joked, “I got hit so hard I heard ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears,” referencing Smith’s 1991 hit with DJ Jazzy Jeff.
The original confrontation occurred at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, when Rock, then hosting, made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. “Jada, I love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it!” Rock said from the stage. Pinkett Smith, 53, has publicly discussed her diagnosis with alopecia, an autoimmune condition causing hair loss. Smith walked onstage and struck Rock twice before returning to his seat and shouting, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth!” Smith went on to win Best Actor that night for “King Richard” but was subsequently banned from all Academy events for ten years. In a statement afterward, he called violence a “poison.”
Rock’s interview represents his most extensive public reflection on the incident to date, framing it as a personal setback dwarfed by larger societal concerns.
The Toronto International Film Festival runs through September 15.