Rock purportedly told the crowd he turned it down, along with a Super Bowl commercial. He said the slap from Smith “hurt.”
“He’s bigger than me,” Rock said. “The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
CNN has reached out to Rock’s representative and the Academy for comment.
Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and hit the comedian in the face after he made a joke about Smith’s wife’s shaved head. Jada Pinkett Smith suffers hair loss due to alopecia, an autoimmune condition that can lead to hair loss.
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out,” Smith said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
