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Chris Rock Has This Cold Response to Making Peace With the Smiths, Source Says

Jada Pinkett Smith publicly pleaded for a reconciliation that seems unlikely to take place.

Most of the talk about the Oscar slap seen 'round the world has finally died down, but that doesn't mean that the two men involved are all good now. While Will Smith has publicly apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him in response to a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at the March award show, Rock's only public response has been through jokes at his standup shows. And, according to what a source close to the comedian told Entertainment Tonight, no one should expect the two to make amends any time soon. Read on to see where Rock reportedly stands regarding the situation now.

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Smith apologized to Rock in a statement.

Will Smith at the National Board of Review Gala in March 2022
lev radin / Shutterstock

During the Academy Awards on March 27, Smith took to the stage to slap Rock, who was presenting an award, after he made a joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head. When he retuned to his seat, Smith also said, "Keep my wife's name out your [expletive] mouth!" The subject was sensitive as Pinkett Smith has alopecia.

Smith publicly apologized to Rock the day after the show. "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong," his statement read in part. As a result of slapping Rock, the Best Actor winner resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has been banned from Academy events for 10 years.

Pinkett Smith broke her silence about it on her show.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards
Tinseltown / Shutterstock

On the June 1 episode of her talkshow, Red Table Talk, which was focused on alopecia, Pinkett Smith spoke out about the Oscars incident directly.

"Now, about Oscar night," she said, according to Entertainment Tonight, "my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile. The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one other more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that's keep figuring this thing called life together."

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Rock is reportedly not interested in making amends.

Chris Rock at the premiere of "The Way Back" in 2020
DFree / Shutterstock

A source told Entertainment Tonight that Rock is not paying attention to Pinkett Smith's hopes or worried about her or Smith currently.

"He's not concerned with the Smiths at the moment," the source said. "He's touring and he's preparing for a comedy special." The source added that Rock is not preoccupied with the Hollywood scene and is focused on himself and his work.

But he has alluded to the slap in his set.

Chris Rock on stage and Will Smith leaving the stage at the 2022 Oscars
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

While Rock has not addressed the slap or Smith publicly in a serious manner, he has joked about the situation in his standup performances. As reported by Today, during a show in Boston on March 30, Rock said, "I don't have a bunch of [expletive] about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I'm still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I'll talk about that [expletive]. And it will be serious and funny."

Then, during a May 12 show in London, Rock said, as reported by The Telegraph, "I'm okay, if anybody was wondering. Got most of my hearing back." He added, "Don't expect me to talk about the [expletive]. I'll talk about it at some point … on Netflix. Your tickets were expensive, but not that expensive."

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Lia Beck
Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more. Read more
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