By Kalhan Rosenblatt -
NBC News
BOSTON — Comedian Chris Rock has spoken out for the first time after being slapped by actor Will Smith at the Oscars last Sunday for joking about Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia.
Rock stated that he is not ready to talk or joke about what happened.
“I'm still processing what happened,” he told a sold-out crowd at The Wilbur, a Boston entertainment venue that hosts weekly events, adding that he would dig into it at some point, but he wasn't ready yet.
[“Pure rage and violence out of control”: celebrities' reactions to Will Smith's slap in the face of Chris Rock]
Rock, dressed in white, was greeted with two standing ovations before beginning his performance.
“Let me put on a show.
You have me dressed to the nines,” he pointed out to the cheering crowd.
He jokingly asked the audience, “How was the weekend?”
before hinting at the slap and telling fans that her performance would not be focused on her.
"I had a whole show written before this weekend," he argued.
Rock's remarks and the first of his back-to-back shows came hours after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it had launched disciplinary proceedings against Smith.
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The audience at The Wilbur, which had a distinctive comedy club vibe downstairs and a traditional theater setting on the mezzanine level, roared at Rock's jokes.
The show, which encompassed everything from the COVID-19 pandemic and politics to his daughters Lola and Zahra, seemed like a return to form for Rock.
But a booer stopped the show twice.
At one point, a person who appeared to be a member of security came onto the stage behind Rock.
[Jada Pinkett Smith calls out 'healing' after husband Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for hitting him]
It's unclear if the booer was removed, but as the person yelled, Rock commented, "Is this what the tour is going to be like?"
Some comedians have expressed fear that crowds will become more hostile since the Oscars incident.
Frustrated members of the public, some of whom said they had paid between $1,000 and $2,300 for their seats after the Oscars, yelled at the booer to shut up.
Line up to get into the Wilbur Theater for a sold-out performance by American comedian Chris Rock in Boston, Massachusetts on March 30, 2022.Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
At Sunday's ceremony, as Rock presented the award for best documentary feature, Rock joked that he was looking forward to seeing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in
GI Jane 2,
which would be a sequel to a 1997 American film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Demi Moore in the role of a woman who shaves her head during military service.
[This was the apology that Will Smith gave after the incident where he hits Chris Rock at the Oscars]
In 2018, Pinkett Smith revealed that she had been diagnosed with alopecia, a disease that causes hair loss.
Smith walked onto the Dolby Theater stage and punched Rock.
He then jumped back into his seat and yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your f----out."
Rock kept his composure and joked that it was the "greatest night in television history."
The Los Angeles Police Department reported that no charges were filed.
Many of those attending Wednesday's show waited outside in the cold to see Rock's first show since the events of Sunday.
As they queued, attendees called Smith's actions reprehensible.
"I think it's one of the most embarrassing things that's ever happened in television history," said Owen Murphy, 18, of Providence, Rhode Island.
"I think Will Smith should be ashamed," he added.
Many agreed that Rock's joke was an innocent comment and that the disagreement should have been handled off air.
Smith "went too far," said Marquis Williams, 34, of Connecticut.
“He could have gone back on stage and dealt with it with [Rock].
You are on live television.
That's what you do,” he added.
Smith came under scrutiny Sunday for not directly apologizing to Rock when he accepted the best actor Oscar for his role in
King Richard
, a biopic about the life of Richard Williams, the father and trainer of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. .
Instead, he apologized directly to Rock in a statement Monday, saying he was "out of line" and "embarrassed."
[Female alopecia: this is how women suffer from the disease suffered by Jada Pinkett Smith]
"Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive," Smith said in a message Monday night on Instagram.
"My behavior at the Academy Awards last night was unacceptable and inexcusable."
Rock has previously poked fun at Pinkett Smith, most notably in 2016 in his monologue as host of the Oscars.
“Jada said she wasn't coming.
protesting.
I was like, 'Isn't she on a TV show?
Is Jada going to boycott the Oscars?
Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties.
I have not been invited,” she said.
Rock shows in Boston sold out long before the slap.
On their Instagram page on February 11, The Wilbur announced that the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday shows had sold out.
The venue announced on March 18 that another show was to be added.