Please be advised that the following post includes the use of racial slurs and extremely offensive language during a stage performance.
On March 4, 2023, actor and comedian Chris Rock (The Longest Yard, Head of State) performed his latest comedy special live on Netflix. The comedy special titled Selective Outrage showcased the highly anticipated response to the infamous Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Men in Black) slap that occurred at the Oscars last year.
“Anybody that says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” conveyed Rock followed by a well-timed figurative wink at the start of his live special on Netflix, according to Deadline.
The special from Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre began with a montage of Rock wearing a Prince pendant and making his way towards the stage. Soon after, the comic began to criticize the selective outrage of the “woke” crowd, corporate charity, and what he called “yoga pants politics,” using pretty standard jokes. He also suggested that people were scared and not being truthful, according to Deadline.
Rock knew what everyone came for. Before he delivered, he joked about everyone from OJ Simpson, Meghan Markle, Elon Musk, to the Kardashians.
“People are like ‘Did it hurt?’ … I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears,” explained Rock, via Huffington Post. The comedian also joked that he “took the hit like Manny Pacquiao.”
According to ComicBook, the comedian spent the last ten minutes of the comedy special addressing not only the infamous slap that occurred at the Oscars, but also elements surrounding Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s (Set It Off, The Matrix Reloaded) marriage and how the couple spoke on infidelity on Red Table Talk.
“His wife was fucking her son’s friend. I normally wouldn’t talk about this shit. … No one has ever been interviewed by the person who cheated on us on television. Why the fuck would you do that shit?” Rock asked, according to Huffington Post.
The comedy special even brought out tweets from fans, such as Eric Diep and UrbanNoizeRmx:
The comedian also spoke on his appreciation of Smith prior to the slap. “Nobody is picking on her. Nobody was picking on her. She said a grown man should quit his job because her husband didn’t get nominated for Concussion. And then he gives me a f****** concussion. What the f*** man!” exclaimed Rock, via ComicBook.
“I rooted for Will Smith my whole life and now I watch ‘Emancipation’ just so I could watch him get whooped,” Rock commented.
As Netflix’s first live comedy special, Rock definitely brought nothing short of the smoke. This special was perfect timing preceding this year’s Oscars.
Selective Outrage can be streamed now on Netflix.