Chris Rock’s live, Will Smith joke-filled special on Netflix didn’t go without an edit to the special’s recorded version this past week, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Rock, who took part in his “Selective Outrage” special last weekend, went all in on grilling Smith following a lengthy period of mostly silence regarding the “Fresh Prince” actor’s infamous Oscars slap.
The comedian, however, didn’t accurately deliver one of his jokes tied to his 2016 Oscars hosting gig and it led to the quip getting scrubbed from the special’s recorded version on the streaming platform.
“Years ago, his wife said I should quit the Oscars – I shouldn’t host ‘cause her man didn’t get nominated for ‘Emancipation,’ the biggest piece of shit ever. No, not ‘Emancipation,’ I fucked up the joke,” said Rock, who meant to refer to Smith’s film “Concussion.”
Rock was reportedly aware of the later edit and, after initially tripping up, recovered before taking aim at Jada Pinkett Smith during the live special on Saturday.
“She started this shit. She said that me, a fucking grown-ass man, should quit his job because, ‘My husband didn’t get nominated for ‘Concussion,’” said Rock, referring to a ceremony that Pinkett Smith boycotted amid the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
Rock’s special arrived just ahead of this year’s Academy Awards on Sunday.
Smith has reportedly sought to “unsuccessfully” clean up his friendship with Rock in the wake of the slap, according to People.
A source told People that Smith is “better but still remorseful” as his family “has helped him look inside and mature” over the past year.
