It’s hard to believe it, but it’s been years since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. That moment quickly went viral, with Smith banned from the Academy Awards and slowly stepping back into the spot light with new projects. That includes Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which performed well at the box office. And now we know how Chris Rock allegedly feels about the Will Smith slap joke in the Bad Boys sequel.
The conversation surrounding The Slap is still ongoing, with Rob Schneider recently blasting Will Smith for his actions. But the controversy didn’t stop Bad Boys 4 from doing well, and its ending seemingly referenced the infamous incident by having Martin Lawrence slap Smith over and over again. An anonymous source who is allegedly close to Rock recently spoke with InTouch, revealing his thoughts about making light of The Slap in the new movie. In their words:
Chris thinks it’s a pretty cheap stunt and he’s telling people how lame he finds it. It’s a classic case of Will making light of a horrific situation. Will’s playing the victim. It was the lowest point of his career, but that’s no excuse.
There you have it. If this report is to be believed, Rock isn’t loving the not-so-subtle reference to him in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. And as such, the ongoing beef between he and Smith will likely continue for the foreseeable future. We’ll just have to see how the story continues to evolve.
Rock’s alleged feelings about the Bad Boys scene comes as the discourse around the Oscars incident continues. Recently, Jim Carrey said he was “sickened” by what went down at the Academy Awards, while Jerry Seinfeld reportedly wanted to book Rock for an Unfrosted scene that would reference it. Clearly that viral moment still has a chokehold of the public’s attention.
Initially, Will Smith stepped away from the public eye for months after the Oscars, including dropping out of the Film Academy. But eventually Smith returned to social media and public appearances, promoting his movies Emancipation and Bad Boys 4. And there are a number of upcoming Will Smith projects on the way.
As for Chris Rock, he’s been touring as a comedian in the years since that viral event occurred with Smith. Rock’s special Selective Outrage was also a huge hit (and can be streamed with a Netflix subscription).
Whether or not Rock ad Smith ever actually meet face to face and talk out their issues remains to be seen. But it’s clear that the chatter surrounding that pair isn’t going anywhere. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
