Although Chris Rock may not be able to predict the future, he does know one thing about 2023: He will not be hosting the Oscars.
The 57-year-old comedian revealed the news during his show on Sunday night at the Arizona Financial Theatre in downtown Phoenix.
Rock said he was asked to host the awards ceremony for next year, but decided to decline the offer.
After Rock was memorably slapped by actor Will Smith during this year’s 2022 Academy Awards, the comedian said returning as the host next year would be like “returning to the scene of a crime.”
According to the Arizona Republic, Rock compared his return to the Oscars to the beginning of O.J Simpson’s famous murder trial, where his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson left her eyeglasses at a restaurant.
Rock said that his return to the Academy Awards would be just like asking Nicole to go back to the restaurant.
Along with next year’s awards, Rock also told the crowd that he was asked to do a Super Bowl commercial as well, which he also refused.
Chris Rock addresses Will Smith Oscars slap at Phoenix show
Although it initially took Chris Rock a bit of time to address the shocking moment from the ceremony this March, he naturally talked about it during the sold-out weekend show.
After mentioning the likeliness of victims gaining fame, Rock opened up about the moment from the 2022 Oscars after being prompted by an audience member to “talk about it.”
He confirmed the smack from Smith did in fact hurt — joking that the actor played boxer Muhammad Ali in a movie, after all.
The comedian said, “He’s bigger than me, the state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
When it comes to confirmation as to whether or not Rock was asked to host next year’s Oscars, an email return from The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has not yet been sent.
Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for his behavior
As previously reported by Monsters and Critics, Will Smith ultimately took the blame for his “slap heard around the world” at this year’s Academy Awards.
After Chris Rock made a joke comparing Smith’s wife to G.I. Jane, Smith walked onstage, smacked Rock directly in the face, and proceeded to yell, “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth” from his seat.
After taking some time after the incident, Smith posted a YouTube video to address the situation and give Rock an apology. In terms of not responding right away, he said, “I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy.”
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out,” Smith said.
He continued, “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Although he may have apologized, Will Smith is still banned from attending the Academy Awards for the next decade.