Chris Rock says he declined an invitation to present the 2023 Oscars (report)

Chris Rock says he declined an invitation to present the 2023 Oscars (report)

Chris Rock turned down an offer to present the 2023 Oscars, the comedian said Sunday night during his show at the Arizona Financial Theater in downtown Phoenix.

according to reports arizona republicRock said the Academy asked him to host it again for a third time (the comedian hosted the awards twice, in 2005 and 2016) after the infamous moment at the 2022 ceremony when Will Smith punched Rock on stage afterwards. that Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife. Jada Pinkett Smith. The incident occurred just as Rock was about to present the award for best documentary and an hour before Smith received the award for best actor for his role. King Richard.

During his show, Rock compared the performance to returning to a crime scene, OJ referring to Simpson’s murder trial, whose murder of his ex-wife began after she left her glasses at an Italian restaurant. Rock said an Oscar return would be asking Nicole Brown Simpson to “go back to the restaurant”.

according to arizona republicthe comedian’s packed crowd wanted to hear his opinion on the incident, with one fan chanting, “Talk about it!” Rock went on to reference Smith’s performance as boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 drama. AllFor which Smith received his first Oscar nomination.

“He’s bigger than I am,” Rock said. “The state of Nevada will not allow a fight between me and Will Smith.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declined to comment on Rock’s comments.

In April, the Academy’s Board of Governors banned Smith from returning to the Academy Awards or participating in other Academy events for the next 10 years, a week after Smith publicly resigned from the Academy.

Earlier this month, the Academy’s new CEO Bill Cramer noted that they “should have a presenter on the show this year” and “are already looking at several key partners for that.” He also emphasized that the slap will not be a topic of discussion or joke at the upcoming ceremony. “We want to move forward and have an Oscar that celebrates cinema. That’s our focus right now,” he said.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

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