Chris Rock is turning lemons into lemonade. The comedian says he will not speak on the altercation with Will Smith until he gets paid.
During Rock’s Friday show, he took the stage, mocking politicians and other celebrities. While Rock has dodged many questions regarding the situation, he finally announces that he’s not speaking on the incident until he’s compensated.
“I’m OK, I have a whole show, and I’m not talking about that until I get paid. Life is good. I got my hearing back,” the comedian said.
It’s unclear if Rock was talking about being paid for telling the story or if he plans to file a civil lawsuit against Will. However, the comedian did receive a standing ovation from the crowd on Friday evening.
Ironically, that same day, the Academy’s Board of Governors gave Will his fate. The committee announced that Will is banned from the award show and events for ten years.
“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year. However, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” the board wrote.
They also added, “During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.”