Chris Rock's Career Appears To Be In Better Shape Than Ever
There were losers and winners at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, but one arguably unofficial winner was presenter Chris Rock. The come, who found himself on the receiving end of an unexpected slap from Will Smith onstage, has been praised for his professionalism in regaining composure so quickly. In presenting the "Best Documentary" category, the comedian made a quip about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, one that prompted Will Smith to walk onstage and smack him across the face. Rock's initial reaction was one of disbelief, announcing to the audience, "Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me!" However, despite Smith hurling expletives at Rock from his seat, the "Spiral" star resumed his monologue and presented the Oscar to "Summer of Love" without a hitch.
Twitter seemed in consensus that Rock handled the situation better than most would have. "Chris Rock is a professional. On top of not being talented enough he showed me why I can't host the Oscars," one user wrote. "Notice that Chris Rock didn't try to hit back... Rock is a class act," concurred another.
Rock's professionalism indeed shone a positive light on his career — and all this goodwill for the comedian has already begun translating into a financial boost.
Did Will Smith inadvertently make Chris Rock richer?
As it turns out, Chris Rock's appearance at the 2022 Oscars was a most opportune one. Although the comedian probably didn't see it that way as Will Smith's hand made contact with his face, that moment raised Rock's career profile. Just as the comic prepares to kick off his Ego Death World Tour on April 2, ticketing broker TickPick announced that the tour has sold more tickets overnight since the March 27 Oscars ceremony than all other events combined in the past month, per Variety. Additionally, ticket prices on TickPick have soared from $46 a pop (as of March 18) to $341 per ticket (Ouch, Chris Rock fans!).
One fan celebrated the news, tweeting they were happy tickets "soared" post-incident. However, slightly more cynical fans wondered if these were onlookers jumping on the Will Smith bandwagon. "Fans, or hecklers?" one wondered, while another suspicious person wrote, "ok so this was all to promote his comedy tour now it all makes sense."
As for whether Rock will create a monologue inspired by The Slap? Well, that's TBD.