Standing ovation for Rock as he asks: How was your weekend?

CHRIS ROCK today broke his silence and said he is “still processing” being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars — as it was revealed the Academy asked Smith to leave the Oscars ceremony but he refused.

- Robert Dex

The comic mentioned the incident, when Smith strode on stage and slapped him after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss, at a stand-up show in Boston.

Addressing the audience at the start, Rock said: “How was your weekend? I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about that shit. And it will be serious and funny.”

Rock was reportedly given a standing ovation by his audience before kicking off his set.

It comes as the Academy said the actions of Smith, who was later named best actor, were “shocking” and “traumatic” to witness live on television. It also apologised to Rock, praising his “resilience in that moment”.

“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” the Academy said in a statement. “While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently.”