Chris Rock told attendees at a show in Phoenix Sunday that he was asked to host next year’s Oscars but declined the gig.
The comedian, who was famously slapped in the face by actor Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars, joked that returning to the awards show would be like returning to the scene of a crime, according to Arizona Republic.
He also reportedly told guests at the Arizona Financial Theatre that he had been offered a job featuring in a Super Bowl commercial, which he turned down as well.
Rock has sold out shows around the country and abroad since the incident in March that dominated global headlines. Smith walked onto the Oscars stage, struck him and cursed at him after the comic cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith ― Smith’s wife, who has alopecia ― sporting a shaved head.
Rock declined to press charges, and Smith later issued multiple apologies for attacking him.
Rock has held back from speaking openly about his side of the story, though he has joked more and more frequently about the incident in his stand-up sets in the months since. On multiple occasions, he has noted he doesn’t want to be seen as a “victim.”
“I shook that shit off and went to work the next day,” he said at a show in July.
Smith was banned from the Oscars for ten years over the incident. The Academy declined to comment on whether Rock had been asked to host next year’s event.