Chris Rock, the comedian who experienced an incident with Will Smith while hosting the 2022 Oscars, has disclosed that he was invited to return as the MC for the 2023 Oscars but he declined the offer.
During a stand-up routine at a Phoenix comedy show on Sunday, August 28, the 57-year-old comedian stated that returning to the Oscars would be akin to revisiting a crime scene.
He compared it to the absurdity of asking the late Nicole Brown Simpson to return to the restaurant where she had left her eyeglasses before her tragic demise, referencing the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial.
Addressing an inquiry from the audience about the incident with Will Smith, Chris Rock confessed that the blow from Smith had indeed hurt, stating, “He’s bigger than me.”
He humorously added, “The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
Rock also revealed that he had been offered a post-slap Super Bowl commercial but he declined it.
Notably, Rock had previously hosted the Oscars twice, in 2005 and 2016.