CHRIS Rock was greeted by raucous audience members chanting “f**k Will Smith” during his first post-Oscars slap show.
The incident took place after the Grown Ups star made a crack about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
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Days after the slap, which aired on live TV, Chris, 57, took the stage in Boston for a comedy show, according to Variety.
He was quick to address the elephant in the room, though he played coy momentarily.
The actor kicked off his show by saying: “How was your weekend?” with a chuckle.
The audience got a laugh out of it, cheering and hooting as he went on.
“I don’t have, like, a bunch of s**t about what happened, so if you came to hear that…I had, like, a whole show I wrote before this weekend and I’m still kind of processing what happened,” he said.
Chris promised: “So, at some point I’ll talk about that s**t and it will be serious and funny.”
The audience again broke into an uproar, as some began chanting: “F**k Will Smith.”
The comic didn’t feed into the frenzy, instead continuing on with his show.
He said: “I’m going to tell some jokes. It’s nice to just be out.”
PENDING PUNISHMENT?
That same day, the Academy announced that the slap was a violation of their code of conduct.
Will, who was nominated for his role in King Richard, was asked to leave in the wake of the slap, but refused.
In a statement released to the Hollywood Reporter on March 30, reps for the Oscars confirmed that “disciplinary hearings” have begun as a result of the incident.
The Academy’s scathing message read: “Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment.
“We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.”
They went on to reveal Will’s apparent refusal to leave the show.
The statement went on: “Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handles the situation differently.”
TMZ reported that two Oscars officials – David Rubin, President of the Academy, and Dawn Hudson, the CEO – were the ones who asked the actor to leave.
Another portion of the statement revealed: “The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy.
“Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response.”
In a particularly terse memo, the Academy said that at the “next board meeting on April 18” they plant to take “any” disciplinary action including “suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions.”
THE INCIDENT
During Sunday’s Oscars show, Will walked on stage and hit Chris – acting as host – after the comic made a crack about Jada’s buzzed hairstyle, saying: “Jada, I love you, G. I. Jane 2 can’t wait to see it.”
The actress, who revealed earlier that she suffered from alopecia – a condition that causes hair loss – rolled her eyes at the joke.
After slapping the show’s emcee, Will walked back to his seat and Chris yelled: “Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”
Will shouted from his seat: “Leave my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”
Chris appeared shaken, saying: “Wow, dude, it was a G. I. Jane joke.”
Will again repeated: “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth!”
It’s been reported that the pair haven’t spoken since that night.
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