Fans of comedian Chris Rock, who hoped he’d share his thoughts about being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars during his show in Fantasy Springs on Friday night, were left disappointed as he took the stage.
Rock said, “I’m fine, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about it until I get paid. Life is good. I got my hearing back.”
But they skewered some celebrities and politicians during their set, including Hillary Clinton and her failure to win the presidency in 2008 and 2016, the Kardashians and how they “love black people so much that they take anyone for granted.” “ and allegations of racism in Meghan Markle’s British royal family.
She highlighted the fear of people embracing the diversity of corporations, raising their daughters, being single again, and hurting anyone for any number of reasons.
The Rock, dressed in white jeans and a dress shirt, received a standing ovation after ending his joke on divorce and referring his friends to his ex-wife’s lawyer.
No cell phones were allowed in the building and attendees were provided with a locking pouch for all mobile devices.
Rock’s show comes days after things change at the Oscars when, during the evening, Smith slaps Rock after the comedian jokes about Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, and her bald head. Both Smith and his wife have spoken out since the incident, but Rock has mostly remained silent.
On Friday, the academy’s board of governors barred Smith from his events for 10 years.
The incident occurred when The Rock was about to begin his “Ego Death” tour with six shows at The Wilbur in Boston. Tickets for scheduled performances, including the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, began selling out immediately.
Tickets for the show after Wilbur dates were initially going for $51 to $71, but resellers began to list them for increasingly higher rates. TickPick, a secondary ticket seller, saw a growth of 641%.
During his April 30 show at The Wilbur, Rock only briefly addressed Thappad during his show, saying that he was “still kind of processing what happened.”
“Aside from the weird thing, life is great,” Rock said in the middle of his first two sets.
Previous reporting by USA TODAY staff was used for this report.
Brian Bluesky covers the arts and entertainment for Desert Sun. He can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter at @bblueskye.
