Chris Rock set foot in La La Land this week just days ahead of the 96th Academy Awards and, most notably, two years after Will Smith slapped him onstage at the Oscars.
The comedian’s whereabouts was first shared by singer Melissa Etheridge, who on Thursday took to X and posted the selfie she snapped. In her tweet she shared a bit of how the encounter went down. According to Etheridge, she went up to Rock and said, “Hello Chris, it’s Melissa Etheridge.”
Rock responded, “Melissa Mother F**king Etheridge!!!!”
She closed out her tweet saying, “my favorite intro.”
Former Vanity Fair columnist George Wayne also shared a photo on Instagram showing a glimpse of the encounter. According to Page Six, who was first to report Rock’s outing, the comedian was spotted outside the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood around 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
The outlet reported, citing a source, that Rock appeared “cheerful” and “ready to make the rounds.”
There’s no official word yet on whether Rock’s attending the Oscars or laying low on Sunday. As for Smith, Page Six reported he’s busy in Miami filming Bad Boys 4.
Rock’s outing in Los Angeles just three days before the Oscars comes two years after Smith slapped him onstage live on television during the broadcast of the 2022 Academy Awards.
The slap occurred right after Rock made the joke, “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” which prompted the actress to roll her eyes at the joke. Moments later, after Rock quipped that that was “a nice [joke]” after being met with some uncomfortable reaction from the audience, he saw Smith make his way onto the stage.
Rock, who was chuckling, was then met with an open-handed slap to his cheek from Smith.
“Oh, wow,” he immediately reacted, as Smith walked offstage. The sound on the Oscars broadcast suddenly cut out after Rock said Smith’s name in reaction. And as the camera panned back to the then-Oscar nominee, back at his seat, though there was no sound, you could clearly read what Smith shouted at Rock.
“Leave my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth,” Smith yelled back at the comedian.
Unsure how to proceed, Rock reacted, “That was the greatest night in the history of television,” which was captured through ABC’s telecast.
Smith later made a public apology for his actions, and he was banned from all Academy Awards events for 10 years.
The 2024 Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, airs live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 10, at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on ABC. Follow along at ETonline.com for full Oscars coverage, including red carpet arrivals, the complete winners list and more.
RELATED CONTENT:
