Tony Rock is riding by his brother, Chris Rock’s side.
Tony reacted to Will’s recent public apology to Chris. Tony responded to an online user and said,
“All the crumbs and losers on social media repeatedly said it had nothing to do with me and I should be quiet or stay out of it. Others said I (who’s been making lots of money since 1999) was commenting in an attempt to gain notoriety.” He continued,
“Now after being mentioned personally in the video, smart people (very few on social media) will realize I wasn’t just some dude on the outside looking in.” He ended with, “There was a genuine friendship. So to all those idiots with their negative comments, You can respectfully S.M.D.”
On July 29, Will shared a video on social media talking about the Oscar’s situation. Will also apologized to Chris’ mom and younger brother, Tony. Will said, “So I want to apologize to Chris’ mother, I want to apologize to Chris’ family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship, you know? Tony Rock was my man. And this is probably irreparable.”
Tony spoke out before on the slap. A few weeks ago, he claims the situation happened because Will didn’t want the public to view him as “soft.” In addition, Tony blames Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s past relationship with the late Tupac Shakur.
Tony said, “I think that [Oscar Slap] was the accumulation of him being slapped on other levels. He said it himself, he always hated the ‘soft moniker.’ He’s soft, Jada won’t let 2Pac die, it’s always something about 2Pac and his daughter [Willow Smith] brought up 2Pac.”
Earlier this year at the Oscars, Will slapped Chris after Chris made a joke that he was looking forward to a sequel to “G.I. Jane,” which was ultimately a jab at Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head. Jada has alopecia and didn’t take to the joke. When Will sat back down, he shouted to Chris, “keep my wife’s name out of your f*** mouth.”
As a result of the slap, Will is banned from the Oscars for ten years. He’s still able to get nominated. However, he can’t attend any events. Will responded, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
Since the slap, Chris has made jokes about it a various comedy shows. His recent statement, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”