BOSTON -- Chris Rock received several standing ovations before he told one joke Wednesday at his first comedy show since Will Smith slapped him in the face onstage at the Oscars.
Rock only briefly addressed the slap to the sold out crowd in Boston, saying he was 鈥渟till kind of processing what happened."
鈥淥ther than the weird thing, life is pretty good,鈥� Rock said midway through his first of two sets. The nighttime performances came just three days after Smith smacked the comedian for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, while presenting an Academy Award.
Rock didn't mention Smith or Pinkett Smith by name at his show in Boston. Wearing all white, he seemed to be almost embarrassed by the multiple ovations he received. As the applause carried on for minutes 鈥� with fans yelling 鈥淚 love you, Chris!鈥� 鈥� the comedian appeared to be getting emotional, a guest seated near the stage told The Associated Press.
鈥淗ow was your weekend?鈥� Rock joked before getting into his set.
Ticket prices skyrocketed after Smith took to the awards stage and slapped Rock on live TV, but the comedian made clear he wasn鈥檛 going to talk at length about it Wednesday.
鈥淚f you came to hear that, I鈥檓 not ... I had like a whole show I wrote before this weekend,鈥� Rock said.
He spent much of the night skewering celebrities and politicians. Among them were the Duchess of Sussex, the Kardashians, as well as President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and former President Donald Trump.
Outside the venue, a fan showed off a T-shirt featuring the 鈥淕.I. Jane鈥� logo and Pinkett Smith鈥檚 face. Another had a shirt he made that showed Smith's face and displayed a crude joke about the couple's relationship.
At least one person yelled during the show that Rock should sue Smith.
Rock's joke at the Oscars was about Jada Pinkett Smith's buzzed haircut: 鈥淛ada, I love you. 鈥楪.I. Jane 2,鈥� can鈥檛 wait to see it,鈥� Rock said, comparing Pinkett Smith to Demi Moore鈥檚 鈥淕.I. Jane鈥� character, who had a buzz cut in the 1997 film.
Smith promptly stood up from his seat at the front of the venue and took to the stage, slapping Rock across the face before sitting back down and yelling at Rock to keep his wife鈥檚 name out of his mouth.
Pinkett Smith has spoken publicly about her diagnosis of alopecia, which can cause baldness.
Within an hour, Smith won best actor, receiving a standing ovation. During his five-minute acceptance speech, Smith talked about defending his family and apologized to the academy. A day later, Smith issued an apology to the comedian, to the academy and to viewers at home, saying he was 鈥渙ut of line鈥� and that his actions are 鈥渘ot indicative of the man I want to be.鈥�
Pinkett Smith responded Tuesday with a graphic on Instagram that read: 鈥淭his is a season of healing and I鈥檓 here for it.鈥� She offered no further comment.
George Guay, a 24-year-old fan from Boston who grew up on 鈥淓verybody Hates Chris,鈥� said he bought a ticket after Rock was slapped by Smith.
鈥淗e鈥檚 the most popular celebrity so I want to be here,鈥� Guay said before the show, adding that he hoped Rock would open with a response to the situation. 鈥淚 just want a good show.鈥�
Afterward, some fans were a little disappointed he did not address the controversy more directly. But they also said they could see from his body language that he wasn't sure how to do it.
鈥淎s soon as I saw him, his mood was a little bit shocked,鈥� said Dave Henriquez, a 48-year-old musician from Newton, Massachusetts. 鈥淚 got that it was weighing on him.鈥�
Erin Ryan, a 33-year-old teacher also from Newton who was with Henriquez, said she felt Rock wanted to perform his act, 鈥渘ot make the standup about the one incident.鈥�
Kathryn West-Hines, a 50-year-old Pilates instructor from Malden, Massachusetts, said she came away with even more respect for Rock. 鈥淚 thought it was amazing, classy,鈥� she said, adding that he wasn't going to let 鈥渨hat happened Sunday鈥� take away his shine.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences condemned Smith striking Rock. Its board of governors met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations of the group鈥檚 standards of conduct. The academy said it had asked Smith to leave the ceremony after hitting Rock, but he refused to do so.
This was not the first time Rock had made a joke at Pinkett Smith's expense. When he hosted the 2016 Oscars, some people boycotted the ceremony over the #OscarsSoWhite group of nominees, including the Smiths. Said Rock then: 鈥淛ada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna鈥檚 panties. I wasn鈥檛 invited.鈥�
Wanda Sykes, who co-hosted the Oscars with Amy Schumer and Regina Hall, said she felt physically ill after Smith slapped Rock. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres scheduled to air April 7, Sykes also said letting Smith stay and accept his award should not have happened.
The drama overshadowed some historical wins at an Oscars. The deaf family drama 鈥淐ODA鈥� became the first film with a largely deaf cast to win best picture. For the first time, a streaming service, Apple TV+, took Hollywood鈥檚 top honour, signalling a profound shift in Hollywood and in moviegoing. Wins for Ariana DeBose of 鈥淲est Side Story,鈥漈roy Kotsur of 鈥淐ODA鈥� and Jane Campion, director of 鈥淭he Power of the Dog,鈥� all had made history.
