‘They Were Horrified & Traumatized’: Jerry Seinfeld Deemed a ‘Hack’ for Wanting to Mock Chris Rock and Will Smith’s Oscar Slap In Movie Scene
‘They Were Horrified & Traumatized’: Jerry Seinfeld wanted to Mock Chris Rock and Will Smith’s Oscar Slap In Movie Scene
Chris Rock got the last laugh when he turned his infamous run-in with Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars into the big joke of the night during his “Selective Outrage” special.
But the comic is not the only person who hoped to use Rock and the controversial encounter as a funny moment. So did Jerry Seinfeld.
The Emmy-winning comedic actor revealed in a recent interview that his new movie, “Unfrosted,” was initially written with the “Saturday Night Live” alum in mind. The Netflix movie is centered around Kellogg and Post’s war to revolutionize breakfast with the creation of Pop-Tarts.
On the “Fly on the Wall” podcast, Seinfeld said that the film’s awards show scene was supposed to star Chris.
“The other thing I wanted to do that I almost did was Chris Rock was going to be the emcee of the Bowl & Spoon Awards — and we shot that night after the Will Smith slap,” Seinfeld said. “I was going to have somebody come up on the stage and have Chris punch ’em out as they got there.”
In the movie, Cedric The Entertainer portrays the role of awards show host Stu Smiley. Unlike Seinfeld’s original vision, he does not have an encounter with anyone. The “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” creator said that Rock turned down the acting gig because he “wasn’t up to perform” and that “he was a little shook from that event,” which took place shortly before the scene was set to be filmed.
This Chris Rock and Will Smith Interview Got me Rolling pic.twitter.com/uD3xz1A1HP
— Sky (@ThePac29) May 8, 2024
The stand-up comedian was slapped by Smith while on stage to present the Best Documentary Feature award. Seconds prior to the movie star striking his peer, Chris made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald appearance. The Academy Award winner returned to his seat, where he then angrily yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—king mouth!”
“That was what the scene was going to be, but Cedric saved the day. I love Cedric,” explained Seinfeld. When podcast co-host Dana Carvey suggested that there was still “residual darkness” around the moment, the “Unfrosted” director said it’s that very thing that people are attracted to. “I don’t know if it would have worked. It was an idea,” he added.
“William Smith has been punished by the Academy and public opinion, Chris Rock has made a boat load of money about what happened to him. It’s time to let this go,” read a post reacting to the “Unfrosted” disclosure.
Another person stated it was an “inappropriate request.” A third comment read, “So first they were horrified & traumatized but then they wanted to mock it in a movie about pop tarts….be serious!”
While several others called Seinfeld a “hack” for thinking the parody was a good idea to begin with.
The “Everybody Hates Chris” mastermind has only addressed the public spat in his comedy special. And despite Smith claiming that he has reached out to apologize to Chris, the two remain at odds.
Tony Rock, Chris’ younger brother, worked with Smith for four years on “All of Us” in the early 2000s. He said that he and the Hollywood heavy hitter were friends up until the slap.
“I still feel like he owes me five minutes of a conversation. I’m not saying it’s a fight. I’m not saying it’s some aggressive s—t. I feel like man to man, based on who we were to each other, you owe me a five-minute conversation, you’ve hit my brother on national television, bro,” said Tony when he recently appeared on “My Expert Opinion.”
Smith is currently preparing for the fourth installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise alongside co-star Martin Lawrence.
The film is slated for a June 7 release, but reports have speculated that fans have seen very little of him as he allegedly curbs interview opportunities to avoid speaking about his estranged wife’s entanglement and his Oscars outburst.