In 2022, the 94th Academy Awards show became synonymous with the slap that caused buzz around the Internet. Chris Rock, who was hosting the biggest night in Hollywood, was slapped by Will Smith after he made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, referencing G.I. Jane. Following the incident, Smith won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. Now, two years later, while Smith won’t be attending the 2024 Oscars due to his ban, there are reports that Rock is back in town, coincidentally over the same huge weekend for movies. But is he attending the event?
Well, neither Chris Rock’s representatives or the Academy have commented on whether he’ll be at the show or not. But if he does attend, it would be his first appearance back in the Dolby Theater since the 2022 incident. According to Page Six, he was spotted out and about in West Hollywood on Thursday afternoon outside of the Sunset Marquis hotel. The news outlet’s source claimed that he seemed to be in very high spirits. They said:
He was in such a great mood. He was very cheerful, like he was out and about and ready to make the rounds… [The slap] felt like water under the bridge.
Reportedly, Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Melissa Etheridge was also at the West Hollywood hotel, and the comedian was nothing less than ecstatic about seeing her. The source went on to say that:
He was shouting, ‘Hey Melissa Etheridge, it’s Chris Rock,’ clearly in better spirits [than two years ago].
The singer seemed to be just as happy seeing Chris Rock and even posted a selfie of them together on X (formerly Twitter). It garnered dozens of positive comments from fans. They all either mentioned that they could hear Rock’s unmissable voice in the songstress’ caption or that they were just hyped to see them together.
ME: “Hello Chris, it’s Melissa Etheridge”CHRIS: “Melissa Mother F**king Etheridge!!!!”😎my favorite intro @chrisrock pic.twitter.com/tpwLqQ3dEyMarch 8, 2024
Whether he attends the Oscars or not, just seeing his alleged more cheerful disposition shows that he might be in a better mind space than two years ago. Former Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones, who is a close friend of his, said that the slap was humiliating enough that he had to go to counseling. Dave Chapelle also gave his honest opinion, revealing that he called Chris Rock right after the incident to discuss it with him because it just seemed so shocking and fake when he saw it on live television.
Despite this, this year’s ceremony should be a memorable one. The list of 2024 Oscar nominees proves that this past year was great for movies, including box-office dominant titles like Oppenheimer and Barbie, along with some of the biggest names that are being recognized for their work, like Lily Gladstone and Paul Giamatti. Still, I’m intrigued to see whether Chris Rock ends up being one of the stars in present amid the festivities.
We’ll see if the comedian shows up when the 96th Academy Awards airs on ABC on Sunday, March 10, starting at 7 p.m. ET.