American comedian and show host, Chris Rock has declined the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science’s offer for him to host the 2023 Oscars award ceremony.
The comedian made the revelation on August 28, during his Sunday night show in Phoenix, saying the Academy had approached him with an offer to host the 2023 awards.
He compared an acceptance to host the show with returning to a crime scene, in reference to Nicole Brown Simpson’s death and her returning to the restaurant.
The sold-out crowd urged Rock to discuss the infamous Oscar slap, with one fan reportedly screaming, “talk about it,” while Rock was onstage.
The ace comedian took the note and proceeded to compare Smith to Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer Smith played in the 2001 biopic Ali; Smith received his first Oscar nomination for the role.
“He’s bigger than me,” Rock said. “The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
Rock reportedly joked that hosting the Oscars would be like returning to the scene of a crime.
During the bit, Rock also refelrenced the infamous O.J. Simpson trial, joking that hosting the Oscars for him would be akin to Simpson asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant.”
Chris was the victim of the popular Oscar’s slap at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, where actor Will Smith reacted to the comedian’s joke on wife Jada with a slap.
Will would later face heavy backlash from fans across the world, and also lost out on movie deals, including being banned from the Academy for 10 years.
Although Will has rendered a public apology to the comedian after taking months off to heal and self-reflect, Chris does not seem ready to bury the hatchet yet.