Oscars 2022: Chris Rock to perform in Boston after Will Smith slap

BOSTON — Chris Rock is set to perform a series of shows in Boston just days after actor Will Smith smacked the comedian during the Academy Awards broadcast on Sunday.

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According to WFXT, Rock, 57, will appear twice nightly from Wednesday through Friday at the Wilbur Theatre. As of early Tuesday, all six Boston shows were sold out on LiveNation.com.

Following his stop in Boston, Rock’s Ego Death World Tour will head to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Other notable tour stops include Durham, North Carolina; Baltimore; Las Vegas; Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio; Orlando, Florida; Atlanta; Pittsburgh; New York; Chicago; Seattle; and Hollywood, California.

>> Oscars 2022: Will Smith apologizes for slapping Chris Rock on Academy Awards stage

Rock, a presenter at the Academy Awards, was thrust into the limelight Sunday night after Smith, enraged by Rock’s “G.I. Jane” joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith, walked onstage and struck the comedian during the ceremony. Pinkett Smith has a shaved head and suffers from alopecia, a hair-loss condition, according to The Associated Press.

After returning to his seat in the audience, Smith appeared to shout, “Keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth,” Variety reported.

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Less than an hour later, Smith was awarded the best actor Oscar for his role in “King Richard.” He apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences during his acceptance speech, adding that he is fiercely protective of his family, the AP reported.

“Art imitates life,” he said at the time. “I look like the crazy father. But love will make you do crazy things.”

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In a statement early Monday, the academy said it “does not condone violence of any form.” The organization later said it has “officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law,” The Associated Press and Deadline reported.

The Academy does not condone violence of any form.

Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department said investigators are aware of the incident, according to The Guardian and NBC News.

“The incident involved one individual slapping another,” the department said in a statement. “The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”

"If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report." (2/2)
— Lois Beckett (@loisbeckett) March 28, 2022

Smith also took to Instagram on Monday to apologize to Rock.

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” the post read. “I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”