Chris Rock shuts down fan who shouts expletive-laced insult about Will Smith
Chris Rock might be taking the high road in the aftermath of that Oscars slap, but the same cannot be said for some of his fans.
On Thursday, returning to the stage for his third comedy show at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre, the comic was met with “F— Will Smith†from someone in the sold-out audience. According to People, Rock’s fans also chanted the colorful phrase during his first pair of shows there Wednesday.
Despite ignoring them the day before, Rock took a different approach Thursday and immediately quieted the overzealous fan, People reported.
“No, no, no, no, no…†Rock responded.
First-time Oscars producer Will Packer tells ‘Good Morning America’ he wasn’t worried about Will Smith until he started yelling ‘with such vitriol.’
The acclaimed comedian is returning to stand-up performances following a five-year hiatus. Rock is scheduled for two more shows at the Wilbur, before departing Friday for the rest of his highly anticipated Ego Death World Tour.
After the infamous slap, tickets for Rock’s shows saw a significant uptick in sales. He’s also added second tour dates to a few cities, including Cleveland, Detroit and Atlanta, seemingly due to a dramatic increase in demand.
The North American leg of his tour comes to the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif., on April 8 and eventually wraps up with two nights (Nov. 17-18) at L.A.’s Dolby Theatre. That’s the same venue where Smith slapped Rock after the comic made a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense.
While performing at the Wilbur in Boston on Wednesday night, comedian Chris Rock said he was still unpacking the Will Smith incident at the Academy Awards.
“Jada, I love ya. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,†Rock quipped while presenting at Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards, referring to the 1997 film that starred Demi Moore with a shaved head. (Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss, and has been vocal about her experiences with it.)
Although Rock has yet to comment on the situation at length, he kicked off his tour this week by briefly acknowledging the widely discussed viral moment.
“I’m still kind of processing what happened,†he told the sold-out crowd in Boston.
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
