In 2022, comedian Chris Rock became one of the most talked about actors in Hollywood thanks to the Slapgate scandal involving him and Will Smith. At last year’s Academy Awards, Rock was publically slapped by Oscar winner Will Smith for comments about the latter’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, when he made a tongue-in-cheek statement about her health condition Alopecia Areata. The shocking incident split Hollywood down the middle, with many actors supporting Will Smith’s actions while others sympathized with and defended Chris Rock.
Will Smith ultimately issued a public apology while Rock went on to other projects, including creating a Netflix comedy special titled Selective Outrage. After seeing the show, actor and comedian Adam Sandler came out to praise his co-actor and friend, Chris Rock.
Also Read: Netflix Reportedly Paid Chris Rock $40M To Make Fun of Will and Jada Smith in ‘Selective Outrage’
Adam Sandler Heaps Praise on Chris Rock
Netflix recently aired Chris Rock’s comedy segment titled Selective Outrage. The comedy special largely touched upon the effects of cancel culture that is prevalent in showbiz and its effects on stars and celebrities. The show was an instant hit and is being lauded by Rock’s fraternity of actors as well. One of the stars who praised the comedian’s quick wit was Adam Sandler. The actor who was in Washinton DC to accept the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor said,
“I thought he was unbelievably relaxed, funny, thoughtful. Crushed it and was real to himself. And it was as exciting to watch as when the Super Bowl is on. I thought about it all weekend. ‘All right, Rock is doing his thing tonight!’. It was one of the best experiences. I thought it was amazing.”
When asked about what he thought of cancel culture, the 50 First Dates actor diplomatically answered by saying that he was enjoying the kind of comedy he was witnessing and was excited to see the genre grow and flourish. He also firmly supported Chris Rock after the Oscar debacle and said that he never considered that the comedian went too far with his comments.
Will Smith Reacts to Chris Rock’s show
Ever since the infamous Oscar slap, Will Smith and Chris Rock have both faced backlash as well as support from different corners. While the Men in Black actor expressed his desire to move on after his public apology, Chris Rock has brought up the issue again with the mention of the incident in his new comedy special on Netflix. The comedian also openly touched about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alleged past affair and took a dig at Will Smith’s role as a slave in Emancipation saying,
“Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in a movie. You think I auditioned for that part? I played Pookie in New Jack City. Now, I watch Emancipation, just to see him get whooped.”
Will Smith has reacted to these statements unfavorably, expressing his disappointment to Netflix for having given Rock the platform to spread distasteful opinions on a public forum. The actor also added that these comments led him to feel depressed and hurt. This war of words between the two celebrities has possibly closed all doors to reconciliation in the future.
Source: People
