Chris Rock says he watched Will Smith’s movie Emancipation just to see the actor being ‘whipped’

Chris Rock expressed that he was hate-watching Will Smith’s movie Emancipation during his new standup special, Selective Outrage.

According to the New York Post, the 58-year-old performer made a reference to the 54-year-old actor’s feature, which he said he enjoyed solely for the fact that the latter was physically assaulted on screen.

The comedian, who was recently spotted on a stroll in New York City, and the King Richard star previously got into a much-publicized altercation during the 94th Academy Awards, which took place last March.

During the special, Rock joked that ‘the other day, I watched Emancipation just so I could watch [Smith] getting whipped.’

The New Jack City actor also remarked that he was previously a fan of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star.

Hate-watching: During the special, Rock expressed that ‘the other day, I watched Emancipation just so I could watch [Smith] getting whipped’

The performer expressed that he had ‘rooted for Will Smith my whole life’ during his time on stage.

The outlet also reported that Rock made several references to the Independence Day star in his standup special. 

According to the Baltimore Sun, the comedian stated that Smith had unnecessarily lashed out at him during the Oscars.

‘Will Smith practices selective outrage…people who are in the know, know that s*** had nothing to do with me,’ he stated.  

Page Six previously revealed that Rock would be discussing the slapping incident during his special. 

According to an insider, the comedian has been ‘waiting to spill his humorous take on it’ for an extended period of time and viewed the special as the perfect venue to express his opinions.

The source also stated that the performer ‘relied on the help of veteran comedy writers to run his jokes by to make sure they were tweaked, solid and funny.’

The insider concluded by expressing that, although Rock’s discussion of the slapping incident would likely generate attention, the rest of the special would be more than worth watching. 

The source remarked that ‘people need to tune in till the last joke, they will not be disappointed.’ 

The Oscars slapping incident was prompted by Rock making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, about how she kept her head shaved.

Favored topic: The outlet also reported that Rock made several references to the Independence Day star in his standup special; the actor is seen in 2022

Checking his work: The source also stated that the performer ‘relied on the help of veteran comedy writers to run his jokes by to make sure they were tweaked, solid and funny’; Rock is seen in 2010

Reasoning: The Oscars slapping incident was prompted by Rock making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, about how she kept her head shaved; the actors are seen during the 2022 ceremony

After jokingly expressing that she was preparing for a role in a sequel to G.I. Jane, the Bad Boys franchise star took to the event’s stage and slapped the comedian, much to the surprise of the event’s attendees.

The actor subsequently returned to his seat and began yelling at Rock from his table, chastising him with the now-infamous line ‘keep my wife’s name out [of] your f***ing mouth!’

The performer subsequently received substantial backlash from much of the entertainment industry for his conduct during the awards ceremony.

Smith was ultimately banned from attending any Academy-related events for ten years.