Key Takeaways:
- Chris Rock told Variety that he would return to the Oscars only if nominated.
- The comedian did not rule out hosting again, but said his time as an Oscars host “might have passed.”
- A24’s Misty Green, directed by Rock, is slated to open in theaters on Oct. 9.
It’s been over four years since the slap heard around the world, and according to Chris Rock, there’s only one thing that could get him to return to the Oscars for the first time since the viral incident involving him and Will Smith.
“The only way I’ll go back is if I’m nominated, and I’m not getting nominated,” he said during an interview with Variety on Tuesday (Sept. 8). “And that’s OK. We’ll deal with that if it happens. Like, let’s manage expectations.” The comedian and actor, who recently returned to directing for the first time in more than a decade with Misty Green, later added that he wishes “nothing would have happened” that night in the first place.
Not that anyone really needs a refresher — even more so given how many times the incident has been referenced over the years — but Rock was presenting Best Documentary at the 2022 Oscars when he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya,” the Down to Earth star said, after which Will walked onstage and slapped him before later shouting, “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth!”
Chris Rock says his time hosting the Oscars “might have passed”
Maybe Rock would’ve had more to say if he weren’t trying to avoid anything that “takes any attention away from Rosalind [Eleazar] and how good she is” in Misty Green, but he did open up to Variety about whether hosting the Oscars again is even on the table.
"When people answer those questions, they’re being disrespectful to the people that got the gig. They have great hosts,” he replied. “Conan O’Brien is amazing. Nikki Glaser is amazing on the Golden Globes. I’m not going to say never, but my time might have passed, honestly.” We’re hoping he’s wrong about that last part, considering REVOLT named him one of the greatest BET Awards hosts of all time back in June (not to mention the many other award shows he's hosted).
What to know about Chris Rock and A24’s upcoming film ‘Misty Green’
Slated to release on Oct. 9, A24's Misty Green follows “a talented actress whose career has stalled” as she fights for a second act years after her Hollywood breakthrough. In addition to Eleazar, the cast also includes Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace, Anthony Anderson, and Kelli Garner, to name a few. While we wait for it to hit theaters, watch the trailer below.