Chris Rock and the Never Ending Slap

Rock’s Netflix Special was a mix of laughs and grimaces

I must admit I was a day late when it came to watching Chris Rock’s Netflix Special “Selective Outrage.” It aired live at 10 pm on Saturday, March 4th. I was watching UFC’s MMA and preferred watching men in shorts beat each other up. It was sort of a scheduled fight between Will Smith and Chris Rock.

So, Sunday evening, I tuned into the special — and it wasn’t as special as I hoped it to be. While Rock looks good for 58 -smooth skinned, dark curly hair, and a crisp, white outfit (peep his Prince symbol silver chain!), his jokes ranged from a talented comic to a raving madman.

It was the inconsistency for me.

Rock discussed everything from wokeness, the January 6th attack, to Meghan Markel, having his daughter expelled from a private school, and of course, the Will Smith Ocars 2022 incident.

It was funny when Rock said, “the slap still hurts”, and “I still “Summertime” playing in my head.” “Summertime” was one of Smith’s biggest hits during his rapper days.

Rock admitted that he is not a fighter. He described Smith as tall with a great body. But at the same time, Rock wouldn’t let Smith (or anyone else at the time) know that the slap had affected him. “I took it like Pachiao,” stated Rock, referring to the former prizefighter.

The bit involving Smith and his wife, Jada drew the most laughs. A collective gasp went through the audience when Rock called Jada a “bitch.” I definitely was waiting to see Smith rush out from the audience and tackle Rock. He was definitely going in on Will and Jada.

I have mixed feelings about the situation. When the slap occurred, I was shocked. I didn’t think that gangsta Will would make an appearance at such an auspicious event. But he did in full force, stating “Keep my wife’s name outta your fucking mouth!” Rock, visibly shaken, obliged while the audience was stunned into silence.

While Rock was making a joke about Jada’s hair, it was an insensitive bit. Jada suffers from Alopecia, as do I, and as Black women, we are sensitive when it comes to the loss of our crowns. Hair represents a lot of things in the Black community. Our hair has a history that coincides with the Black experience in America. When we lose our hair, we feel we’ve lost a connection to our ancestral identity.

The situation could have been easily remedied with a backstage conversation during the commercial break. However, Smith decided to “defend” Jada’s honor by going onstage and striking Rock. Smith was wrong for such an egregious attack. The Oscar committee immediately banned Smith from attending the ceremony for the next ten years.

It was clear during Rock’s Netflix show that he still harbors anger toward Smith. But Rock’s financial fortunes didn’t suffer as his face did. Rock went on several comedy tours following the assault and was met with packed houses at every stop. He has made millions from personal appearances. The slap definitely helped Rock’s bottom line.

Smith, on the other hand, had many studios fall back on working with him. He lost endorsement deals. His book, Will, published the year prior to the Oscars incident had seen a certain level of success only to decline after the Oscars. Smith offered multiple apologies to Rock but the two never met in person to reconcile their differences.

In the past few months, things appear to be on the rebound for Smith. The next installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise was greenlit. Smith was in a movie called “Emancipation.” Smith has been making appearances for the movie. Rock said he watched the film just to see Smith get “whupped.”

It was clear to me that Rock is still angry about the incident. But the bit involving Will and Jada was the strongest part. Rock’s story about getting his daughter expelled was so-so. When Rock discussed abortion, it was downright cringy. He joked that babies should be aborted until they’re four years old. His abortion jokes definitely fell flat.

When Rock discussed the January 6th insurrection, the bit had the potential to be really good, but he didn’t go deep enough. Although, the image of white people climbing up the side of the Capitol Building like roaches did garner some laughs. Rock should have capitalized on one of the worst attacks on the nation since 9/11.

Rock is an intelligent and skilled comic. He has been in the game for over 30 years. Rock has been in the movies, voiced a popular tv show, “Everybody Hates Chris,” and of course, hosted the Oscars. His career is one that every up-and-coming comic aspires to. I just hope he can get past the Oscar incident and continue to hone his work.

As for Rock — Smith the sequel remains to be seen. If I were Smith, I’d not make any sudden moves. All eyes are currently on him. His career can’t take any more hits. Smith may be wise to just go on with the show.