THERE is less than a week to go until the Oscars return, but it’s last year’s blockbuster drama that is still the talk of Tinseltown.

A scathing war of words has broken out after comedian Chris Rock spoke furiously for the first time about being slapped on-stage by Will Smith, joking that the actor’s wife Jada “hurt him way more than he hurt me”.

Chris Rock spoke furiously for the first time about being slapped on-stage by Will SmithCredit: 2023 Kirill Bichutsky

Chris joked that the actor’s wife Jada ‘hurt him way more than he hurt me’Credit: AFP
He added: “I got smacked like a year ago . . . people are like, ‘did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I got Summertime ringing in my ears.”

But today, while awards bosses scramble to avoid further scandal, Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus, has hit back by saying the comedian was fortunate he wasn’t killed by Will after making fun of Jada’s hair at last year’s ceremony. It was in a cropped style due to her alopecia.

In his new Netflix stand-up special Chris, 58, launches a blistering attack on the Smiths, suggesting the A-list actor slapped him while he was presenting an award, because he was angry about Matrix actress Jada’s affair.

The American comic also accused Jada, 51, of starting the bizarre chain of events which led to Will’s stage invasion.

And even though Will, 54, has been banned from Hollywood’s glitziest event, the most shocking moment from last year’s Academy Awards looks certain to overshadow the upcoming ceremony.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which is responsible for the Oscars, created a new “crisis team” in order to prevent any disorderly conduct on Sunday.

But there isn’t anything they can do to stop the bitter sniping taking place before it begins.

During an explosive routine in his Netflix show, titled Selective Outrage, Chris blasts Will for allowing Jada to interview him about her affair with “his son’s friend” on her Red Table Talk TV show.

The couple, who have been married for more than 25 years, described the romance as an “entanglement”.

Chris jokes: “Will Smith practises selective outtrage. I didn’t have any entanglements.

“His wife was f***ing his son’s friend.

“We all been cheated on, none of us have been interviewed by the person who cheated on us on television.

“She hurt him way more than he hurt me.”

After rapper August Alsina, 30, who is pals with the couple’s actor son Jaden, claimed he had been in a romantic relationship with Jada, she decided to address the headlines on her TV show in July 2020.

Will and Jada sat at the red table and she confessed to an “entanglement”.

Will said they had been separated at the time that Jada fell for “Aug”.

In 2021, after years of rumours, Will also admitted that they are in an open relationship, saying, “We have given each other trust and freedom” because they have realised marriage “can’t be a prison”.

Will Smith practises selective outrage. His wife was f***ing his son’s friend…and who is
he hitting? Me. A n***** he knows he can beat.

Chris Rock
Fuming about being smacked by his former friend in front of 15million viewers, Chris says Will was taking out his anger on him rather than his wife.

He says with a smile: “Everybody knows I had nothing to do with that s***.”

At 5ft 10in, Chris states that 6ft 2in Will, who once played the late heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, should pick on someone his own size.

He jokes: “Will Smith is significantly bigger than me, we are not the same size.

“Will Smith does movies with his shirt off. You’ve never seem me do a movie with my shirt off.”

There is no love lost between Jada and Chris either, who both starred in the animated Madagascar movies.

He rages at the outspoken actress for telling him in 2016 that he shouldn’t host the Oscars after no black actors were nominated for the top awards.

Jada and Academy Award winner Will with his Oscar at the 2022 ceremomyCredit: Getty

August Alsina, 30, who is pals with the couple’s actor son Jaden, claimed he had been in a romantic relationship with JadaCredit: Getty
That included Will, who had hoped to pick up an acting gong for the true life drama Concussion, where he played a campaigning doctor determined to prove a link between American football and brain injuries.

Chris says: “Nobody was picking on her, she started it.

“She said a grown man should quit his job because he (Will) didn’t get nominated for Concussion.”

He goes on to suggest that made her fair game for a ribbing at last year’s awards, which included him saying it looked like she had been appearing in US forces movie G.I. Jane 2.

That isn’t how Richard Williams sees it.

Stoking the flames, the 81-year-old former tennis coach and manager, who Will played in King Richard which he won his Best Actor Oscar for last year, says he doesn’t “see nothing wrong” with how Will responded to Chris’s dig at Jada.

The film looks back on how Richard’s no-nonsense approach transformed his daughters into world tennis champions.

‘Time to forgive’

Richard displays the forthrightness in today’s pre-recorded interview with Good Morning Britain by suggesting Will showed restraint.

He says: “I’m 81 years old but when I was about 51 years or younger, I almost killed any damn one, so I think Mr Smith done a great deal not to.”

The tennis guru has not spoken about the slap until now.

Having recovered from a stroke, Richard chose the week of the Oscars to have his say on what was the most controversial moment in its 95-year history.

He says he will “always stand by” Will, adding: “I think he has done the best thing he needed to do.”

And he adds it is “time for everyone to forgive Will Smith” and that the ban on him attending the annual event should be lifted.

It is highly unlikely the Academy will take that chance any time soon, though.

Its chief executive Bill Kramer said: “Because of last year, we’ve opened our minds to the many things that can happen at the Oscars.

“We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and many plans in place.”

Jimmy Kimmel, 55, who is hosting Sunday’s ceremony in Los Angeles believes Chris should be praised for showing restraint when confronted by Smith.

He commented: “To be slapped in the face and to stay that cool is something Chris should be proud of.”

The Academy claimed that Will refused to leave the theatre when asked to.

The next day the actor issued an apology to Chris and to viewers.

He said: “My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”

I’m 81 years old but when I was about 51 years or younger, I almost killed any damn one, so I think Mr Smith done a great deal not to.

Richard Williams
In the summer he displayed further contrition by saying sorry again in a YouTube video.

But Chris chose to wait until the week before the Oscars to speak out.

Some social media commentators suggested that the spat between him and Will was staged in order to generate publicity for the awards.

If that was true, it is the comedian who should be picking up a gold statue, because the venom with which he pierces the Smiths in Selective Outrage would be hard to fake.

He starts off his show, in front of an audience in Baltimore, in Maryland, by taking a dig at people “who might get triggered” by a comedian saying “the wrong thing”.

And he jokes: “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”

The comedian also makes fun of celebrities who make emotional confessions on television programmes such as The Oprah Winfrey Show.

“I’m not a victim,” he shouts. It is a slight which appears to be aimed at Jada’s Red Table Talk show, which he later calls “low down”.

Chris obviously has no intention of making up with Will, whose work he said he “loved” prior to the attack.

In the run-up to this year’s awards host Jimmy said he thinks “we will move past” the slap.

He said: “One day it will be looked at in the same way as that guy running on stage naked is looked at, a weird moment that we all talked about and we hopefully learn from.”