Chris Rock Says He's 'Still Processing' Oscars Incident as Academy Claims Will Smith Was Asked to Leave

Chris Rock was met with multiple standing ovations as he performed for the first time since the Will Smith slapping incident at last Sunday’s Oscars. The comedian opened the show in Boston by telling the audience wouldn’t be talking much about the incident. 

“I don't have like a bunch of s*** about what happened. So if you came to hear that, I’m not—I had, like, a whole show I wrote before this weekend,” Rock said.

Security at the show was intense. 

Inside Edition correspondent Les Trent went to the 10 p.m. show, where everyone was required to put their phone in a locked pouch. 

But someone in the audience snuck a camera in and filmed Rock. The video was posted to TikTok.

“I’m still kinda processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about that s*** and it’ll be serious and it’ll be funny,” Rock said of the Oscars incident. 

Meanwhile, the Academy released a new statement Wednesday night, claiming Will Smith “was asked to leave the ceremony and refused.” It was a request, not a demand, and it was made backstage to Smith’s publicist.

But Variety is refuting that claim, reporting that in the chaos that followed the incident, Smith was “never formally urged to leave the show” and that “mixed messages” were sent.

Smith's publicist is Meredith O'Sullivan Wasson, who was seen speaking with Smith during a commercial break.

Forty-five minutes later, Smith was presented with the Best Actor award. As he came off stage, his publicist was waiting for him and gave him a long hug, before ushering him away. 

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