Chris Rock addresses Will Smith Oscars slap for first time

Chris Rock has spoken about Will Smith slapping him at the 2022 Academy Awards for the first time.

During the Oscars ceremony in March 2022, the King Richard actor walked onto the stage and slapped the comedian after he compared his wife Jada Pinkett Smith - who has the medical condition alopecia - to G.I. Jane.

While Rock has avoided speaking about the incident, he reportedly spoke about it while working on material for his upcoming special, Selective Outrage, during a set staged in January.

"The thing people want to know... did it hurt? Hell yeah, it hurt," he told the audience, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Rock added: "He played Muhammad Ali! I played Pookie!" referring to Smith's role in Ali and his in New Jack City.

In addition, editors at The Sun US reported that the 58-year-old also joked about one of Smith's rap songs, 1991's Summertime.

"I got hit so hard I heard Summertime ringing in my ears," he added.

Smith has mostly steered clear of the public eye since the incident.

He apologised to Academy members and his peers during his acceptance speech for Best Actor at the film event and followed it up with a lengthy apology on Instagram the next day.

The 54-year-old subsequently resigned from the Academy and was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years.