Chris Rock stated that declining to host the Oscars 2023 was not a difficult decision.

Will Smith publicly slapped the comedian at this year’s ceremony after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, having a bald head.

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According to the Arizona Republic, Rock said during the Phoenix leg of his stand-up tour that the Academy had approached him about returning to the show next year.

Returning to the award ceremony, Rock warned his audience, would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant,” referring to the events that led to her death and the later OJ Simpson murder trial.

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Rock reportedly mentioned Smith’s role as Muhammad Ali and added, “He’s bigger than me.

“The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”

Rock also revealed that he was approached about appearing in a Super Bowl commercial, which he declined.

While Rock’s stock looks to have risen since the March event, Smith’s popularity is in “precipitous decline,” according to Q Scores chief Henry Schafer, a prominent statistic in show business for judging a performer’s consumer appeal.

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Smith apologised and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences the week after the Oscars. The actor remained largely silent until July when he apologised to Rock and Rock’s family in a YouTube video.

Smith’s apology has yet to be responded to by Rock.

Earlier in April, during his live performance in Boston, comedian Chris Rock confronted an audience member who was yelling “f*** Will Smith.” Chris acknowledged the Oscars incident briefly for the first time during this performance. 

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Smith punched him in the face over a joke about Pinkett Smith. Chris made a joke about Jada’s hair resembling Demi Moore’s shaved head in the film G.I. Jane.

During the most recent show, a Chris fan yelled “f*** Will Smith,” to which he responded, “No, no, no, no, no.” Chris performed two gigs at the same location and during his first performance, he addressed the audience about their weekend and remarked, “I have a whole show… that I wrote before the weekend, so, if you came here for that I’m still processing it. I will talk about it, and it will be serious, and it will be funny, but not tonight.”