Fans who paid hundreds of dollars for tickets to see Chris Rock had mixed reactions to his sold-out comedy show in Boston after the comedian didn’t joke about being slapped onstage by Will Smith at the Oscars .
Rock, 57, quickly ended any hopes he was joking about the Wilbur Theater slap when he said he was still processing what happened, without mentioning Smith by name.
Some fans said they were disappointed with the decision not to address the controversy more directly, and one told Fox News, “We want our money back, I didn’t pay $400 not to see anything.”
But others said they enjoyed the show and were glad Rock was sticking with a script he wrote a week ago before the Oscars. “We didn’t come just for that,” said one fan after the show.
Some fans said they were disappointed with the decision not to address the controversy more directly, and one told Fox News, “We want our money back, I didn’t pay $400 not to see anything.”
But others said they enjoyed the show and were glad Rock was sticking with a script he wrote a week ago before the Oscars. “We didn’t come just for that,” said one fan after the show
Rock quickly quashed any hopes he would be joking about the slap, which was heard around the world in front of the 3,000 fans in the audience. Rock is pictured backstage with fellow comedian Mike Troy
Chris Rock, 57, quickly dashed any hopes he would be joking about the slap at the Wilbur Theater when he said he was “still processing what happened” without mentioning Will Smith by name. Pictured: Rock leaves the theater after his first comedy performance since Smith beat him at the Oscars on Wednesday night
Another fan said: “It was fun, Chris Rock didn’t say anything about it. He had written everything in advance.’
“I wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t talk about it, but it would have been cool,” said another fan.
Others said they could tell from his body language that he wasn’t sure how to address the controversy.
“As soon as I saw him, his mood was a little shocked,” said Dave Henriquez, a 48-year-old musician from Newton, Massachusetts. “I understood that it weighed on him.”
Erin Ryan, a 33-year-old teacher also from Newton who dated Henriquez, said she felt Rock wanted to perform his show “not to get up because of the one incident.”
Kathryn West-Hines, a 50-year-old palate teacher from Malden, Massachusetts, said she has even more respect for rock. “I thought it was great, classy,” she said, adding that he wouldn’t let “what happened on Sunday” dull his shine.
Other fans said they could tell from his body language that he wasn’t sure how to address the controversy. Pictured: Fans outside the Wilbur Theater ahead of Rock’s performance on Wednesday
Some fans said they were disappointed with the decision not to address the controversy more directly. Pictured: Will Smith punches Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on Sunday after making a joke about Smith’s wife
Chris Rock arrives at the Wilbur Theater ahead of his comedy performance on Wednesday
Dressed all in white, Rock took the stage and asked the excited crowd, ‘Sooooo, how was your weekend?!’
As the crowd all handed out their phones before the show began, the former Saturday Night Live star was greeted with a sustained ovation in the first of two sets he performed on Wednesday as part of his Ego Death Tour.
However, the normally uninhibited prankster quickly dashed any hopes that he would crack jokes about the slap to the 3,000 fans in the audience, some of whom reportedly paid close to $1,000 for a ticket, which could be heard around the world.
“Let me be all foggy and shitty,” he said with tears in his eyes.
“I don’t have much to say about that, so if that’s what you came here for…” he said, pausing.
“I had written a whole series before this weekend.
“I’m still processing what happened, so I’ll talk about it at some point. It is getting serious. It’s going to be fun, but now I’ll tell a few jokes.’
Rock seemed unfazed as he pulled off his trademark high-energy routine, making the crowd roar and gasp as he joked about everything from overweight people at Disney parks to his decision to have a vasectomy after suffering a 78- year-old Robert De Niro running saw around with kid.
He joked about how he spends all his money on women and dryly recommended his ex-wife’s divorce attorney to the audience for making her half his fortune without her ever telling a joke.
Rock took the stage shortly after it was revealed that Smith had refused to walk out of the Oscars after being approached by Academy of Motion Pictures executives.
Shortly after slapping Rock onstage at the Oscars, Smith was announced as the winner of the Best Actor award and accepted his statuette to a standing ovation from many of his peers.
The academy said Wednesday it ignored requests from the president, David Rubin, and the CEO, Dawn Hudson, to leave and violated their code of conduct.
The 53-year-old actor marched onto the stage on Sunday and slapped Rock after Rock shared a joke about Smith’s wife.
Shortly thereafter, Smith was announced as the winner of the Best Actor award and went up to accept his statuette to a standing ovation from many of his peers.