Chris Rock’s brother has claimed that Will Smith didn’t reach out to Rock after the viral Oscars slap, contrary to reports.
At last year’s ceremony, Smith stormed the stage and hit Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Following a number of apologies, directed towards Rock and the organisers, Smith resigned from the Academy. He was later banned from attending all Academy events for 10 years.
It was recently reported that Smith has “tried unsuccessfully” to make amends with Rock since the incident, with People claiming that Smith has “felt terrible for so long” about the incident. “He’s tried unsuccessfully to make amends in the best way he could with Chris,” a source told the outlet.
Now, Rock’s brother Tony has alleged that Smith is lying about reaching out to Rock to apologise for the incident.
Appearing on BigBoyTV, Tony said (via Insider): “That wasn’t true, that wasn’t true. I think like, two nights later, he said, ‘I reached out to Chris, and he didn’t want to talk.’ That wasn’t true.”
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Saying he hoped he would also get an apology from Smith, Tony – who appeared in Smith’s 2005 film Hitch, added: “He doesn’t owe me anything, I just thought we were better than that.
“My phone number has never changed. So, I just thought I’d get a phone call one day like, ‘Ay, let’s just you and I just talk.’ It hasn’t happened, so I guess it’s not going to happen.”
During a Netflix stand-up show last month, Rock addressed the Oscars slap and said he “wasn’t a victim”.
“Everybody knows it happened,” Rock said. “I got smacked a year ago. I got smacked at the Oscars by this motherfucker. And people are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I’ve got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ear.”