Chris Rock has joked that he got his “hearing back” after Will Smith walked onto the stage and slapped him at this year’s Oscars.
The US comic reportedly made the quip on Friday during his Ego Death World Tour stand-up show in Indio, California.
The comedian is also reported to have told the crowd that he was staying silent about the incident until he’s compensated for his troubles.
“I’m OK, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that until I get paid,” Chris said, according to the newspaper The Desert Sun.
He then joked: “Life is good. I got my hearing back.”
At the Oscars, Will stormed on stage and slapped Chris after he joked that his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith could star in G.I. Jane 2, a reference to her shaved head. Jada has alopecia, which results in hair loss.
Chris has so far declined to discuss the incident in depth, saying he’s still working through what happened and hinting that he may address it in a future comedy routine.
“I don’t have a bunch of shit to say about that,” he reportedly told attendees at a Boston show in late March, days after the incident.
“I had written a whole show before this weekend. I’m still processing what happened, so at some point, I’ll talk about that shit. It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny, but right now, I’m going to tell some jokes.”
On Friday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it will ban Will from attending the Oscars for the next decade.
In a statement, academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said Smith will be banned from “any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually” for a 10-year period starting from 8 April.
Will, who was awarded Best Actor for his role in King Richard just minutes after the incident, has since apologised for his actions. He also resigned his membership in the Academy, and said he was prepared to “accept any further consequences” that the organisation deemed appropriate.
“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences,” Will said in a statement.