Netflix: How Chris Rock got the $40m last laugh over Will Smith’s slap

Chris Rock at the Oscars

We called it, Chris Rocks’ retaliation towards actor Will Smith has come in the form of a comedy special starring Rock as the protagonist.

@cajunoutlaw

Chris Rock unleashed Outrage on Will and Jada Smith #chrisrock #willsmith #jadapinkettsmith #fyp #humor #outlawcrew

♬ 热搜BGM – 迪嘉

On March 4, 2023, Rock had his Netflix comedy special titled Selective Outrage.

For those who are not familiar with the back story between Smith and Rock, the simplified version is that Smith went on stage and slapped Rock after a joke the comedian made about Smith’s wife Jada-Pinkett-Smith.

Smith got on to the podium to slap Rock while he was unpacking some prepared comedy material during the Academy Awards.

Back to Chris Rocks’ special Selective Outrage.

The comedian is reported to have signed a $40 million deal with Netflix.  The deal also meant a new benchmark for the streaming service as Netflix for the very first time attempted a live stream.

The special, shot in Baltimore, Maryland with no pre-recordings, no edits and streamed over 190 countries saw Rock not only discussing the slap Smith but going into a number of issues.

In an arsenal of jokes, Rock admitted how the slap hurt only to mention how Smith’s life all over the internet clearly showed some of the issues happening in the Smith household.

“You know what people say, they say, ‘words hurt,'” Rock said. “Anybody that say words hurt has never been punched in the face.”

While Rock tabled few issues such as Meghan Markle and her allegations of racism from the palace, Smith and his academy winning slap and politics, it seems many Netflix subscribers welcomed Rocks retaliation.

@royalnewschannel

Chris Rock humiliates Meghan Markle during a live show on Netflix #royal #royalfamily #princeharry #meghanmarkle #fyp

♬ som original – Royal News Channel – Royal News Channel

“People are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts! I got Summertime ringing in my ears,” Rock said, referring to Smith’s 1991 single.

“I took that hit like (Manny) Pacquiao,” Rock said.

Rock said he believed Smith practiced Selective Outrage in that the slap at the Academy Awards had more to do with Smiths and his wife’s relationship struggles, than his Oscar joke.

“We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here been cheated on, none of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television,” Rock joked. She hurt him way more than he hurt me.”

Rock in ending the show before dropping his mike said he was raised different by parents who taught him that you did not fight in front of white people.

The comedy special is reported to be worth $40 million which if true signals a handsome last laugh all the way to the bank, while Smith gets to have an entire comedy series titled with him in mind.

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