We’re two days out from what some have dubbed as “The Slap” from the 2022 Oscars ceremony and people are still talking about the moment actor Will Smith took to the stage as comedian/host Chris Rock was telling a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, and proceeded to plant a hard slap on Rock’s face.
The two exchanged words in the immediate aftermath, with Smith telling Rock twice to “keep my wife’s name out your f**kin’ mouth!”
Smith has been roundly condemned by pretty much everyone over what happened with some, like my RedState colleague Bonchie, pointing to his actions as a sign that the “Men in Black” actor has become broken and emasculated over the last several years “by a spouse that has thoroughly abused him via the ridiculous, paradoxical arrangement of an ‘open marriage.'”
But while Smith has formally apologized to Rock and presumably will go into hiding for a short time until the incident blows over, Rock himself appears to be sitting pretty, as ticket prices – and sales – for his comedy tour have reportedly soared since the slap heard ’round the world:
However, the dramatic moment did seem to inspire some viewers to buy tickets to see Rock perform live; one secondary ticketing marketplace, TickPick, reports that they have sold more tickets to the comedian’s tour overnight than they did in the past month combined. They also claim that ticket prices have surged since Sunday night, going up from a minimum of $46 per ticket on March 18 to a minimum of $341.
In addition to noting this news on their Twitter feed, TickPick also shared their entry into the Chris Rock/Will Smith meme wars:
We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined.
— TickPick (@TickPick) March 28, 2022
— TickPick (@TickPick) March 28, 2022
On top of Rock being the beneficiary of skyrocketing ticket sales and prices in the aftermath of Smith’s slap is the strong likelihood that it will be Smith being the butt of jokes told by their fellow comedians in the coming weeks more so than Rock, especially considering how Rock handled himself pretty well after the shocking moment happened.
For those who missed what went down, watch the full uncensored segment below – language warning applies:
The entire Will Smith moment went to air uncensored in Australia: pic.twitter.com/qG8WL7DEub
— casey briggs (@CaseyBriggs) March 28, 2022
I still find it interesting that Smith appeared to be laughing at Rock’s “G.I. Jane” joke, and then a few seconds later he was on the stage slapping him. It’s probably why some people watching assumed at first that what happened was scripted.
In any event, good on Rock for getting the last laugh here – something that is essential for any successful comedian to be able to do when he’s in the hot seat. He’s taken his share of hits from wokesters over the years and now – quite literally – from a fellow actor and comedian. And yet he’s still standing and not any worse for the wear for it.
Gotta give credit where due.
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