Chris Rock explained why he never hit Will Smith back after Oscars slap

I think we all remember where we were when Will Smith smacked Chris Rock at the Oscars in front of the entire world... but why didn't Rock hit him back?

The 98th edition of the Academy Awards is set to take place on 15 March, 2026, but the two actors' clash in 2022 remains the most infamous Oscars moment ever.

Comedian Chris Rock was on stage at the Dolby Theatre that night to present the winner for Best Documentary Film Maker.

As is customary of any host at these hours-long events, the comedian cracked a few jokes to keep the audience engaged. However, one dig at the expense of Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith - who he is now separated from - went a little too far.

Fancy a reminder?

Not taking kindly to the barb about his wife's alopecia when Rock compared her to G.I. Jane, Smith stormed up to the stage and slapped Rock across the face during the live broadcast, before returning to his seat, shouting: "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!"

And while the shocked comic reacted to the slap on stage in front of a stunned audience, it took nearly a year for him to explain why he didn't reciprocate the violence on stage.

What has Chris Rock said about the Oscars slap?

Rock opened up about the altercation during his Netflix special Selective Outrage.

"Y'all know what happened to me," he said. "I got smacked at the f**king Oscars by this motherf**ker.

"People are like, 'Did it hurt?' It still hurts. I got 'Summertime' ringing in my ears. I'm not a victim, baby. You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle, crying. You will never see it, never gonna happen... I took that hit like Pacquiao."

As for why he decided to keep the peace, Rock told fans: "Because I got parents, that's why.

"Because I was raised, okay? I've got parents, and you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people."

Smith's physical response to the joke landed him with a 10-year ban from the Academy Awards, but Rock was still able to pay him compliments during his stand-up set.

"I know you can't tell on camera - Will Smith is significantly bigger than me," he joked.

"We are not the same size, okay? Will Smith does movies with his shirt off. You've never seen me do a movie with my shift off.

"If I'm in a movie getting open heart surgery, I've got on a sweater. Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in a movie."

What has Will Smith said about the Oscars slap?

Smith took to Instagram in the aftermath of 'Slapgate' to publicly apologise to Rock, saying: "I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."

Despite his contrition, Smith's career has taken a slump since the incident, and he's set to take another blow as Rock plans to release a tell-all memoir called Payback.

Hollywood sources told Heat World: "Chris has talked about the slap here and there and made jokes about it but that doesn’t mean he’s over it, not by a long shot.

"He’s still burning with rage over the way Will and his wife Jada treated him and he wants payback. Don’t forget he’s known Will since the 90s - they were friends for years and he’s got a ton of dirt on him. He’s very tempted to spill it all, especially now that he’s having to watch Will and Jada crawl their way back into the spotlight.

"Will had his little time out and now he’s back to lining up major studio projects like nothing happened. Chris is disgusted by it and wants to see Will pay a real price, instead of always skating past any consequences.

"Chris has been approached many times with book offers and he’s finally saying he’s ready. He’s got a lot of stories about his time in Hollywood to tell. This isn’t going to be solely about Will and Jada, but he will definitely be devoting a good chunk to exposing them. He knows that’s what people will care the most about."