In the public eye, comedian Chris Rock still hasn’t fully addressed the Oscars slap he received from Will Smith. Though the man has danced around the subject through some offhanded references, one of which came almost immediately after Dave Chappelle’s recent altercation with a fan. However, comedian Marlon Wayans seems to have revealed that backstage, and off the record, the subject is very much discussed; and with Rock himself participating.
As he discussed his recent appearance in the season finale of Bel Air, Wayans shared a couple interesting stories involving Smith with Vanity Fair. Among tales of how Will Smith was almost the face that Peacock subscribers would have been talking about as estranged father Lou, The Slap was definitely present in the conversation. Here’s how Marlon Wayans described that fateful event, and how it’s handled between friends:
I love the Chris Rock–Will Smith thing. What people don’t understand is behind the stage at [Dave] Chappelle’s show, that’s all we’re talking about—with Chris! And we all got jokes. I have an hour on this slap. I may get slapped by both of them. I love it. I love where it’s going, I love the art form that we have, I love that we can express and we can create and we can talk nonsense.
While Chris Rock has been vocal about wanting to book a Netflix special to fully discuss the slap, it almost sounds like Dave Chappelle and Marlon Wayans could get in on that action too. Wayans especially sounds ready, as he claims above to have a full hour of material prepped on the subject. Judging by his description, it sounds like whatever this set includes is impartial, examining both participants from the evening’s events.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Wayans family has addressed Chris Rock’s conduct on stage through the lens of humor. The weeks following the Will Smith slap saw Marlon sharing with social media a clip of his brother/co-host of the 2000 MTV VMAs Shawn Wayans mocking Rock’s hosting gig from the year prior. As you’ll see below, this over the top gag has taken on new prescience:
Marlon Wayans has been praised by his fans for showing off his dramatic range yet again on Bel Air. With Wayans’ resume including films as Respect as dramatic curveballs, he’s got people talking about awards buzz all around. Don’t be fooled though, as comedy is still very much a priority in his life. In fact, he further clarified his thoughts on the Chris Rock/Will Smith slap with these contextual remarks:
Comedians, as damaged as we are, we are healers. We’re trying to go into these dark caves and come out with this little light called the joke. A laugh has this power to bring us all together. You may think this way, I may think that way, but when we laugh, that means we’re coming to the fence and we can talk about it. And that’s what I love about comedy.
As of this moment, Marlon Wayans' stand up set involving The Slap does not seem to be going to the stage, or any potential streaming specials, any time soon. However, you can currently see Marlon Wayans in the Season 1 finale of Bel Air, which is now streaming on Peacock. Wayans also has a upcoming streaming film, simply entitled Boo, that feels like an easy Halloween debut on the 2022 Netflix movie schedule.
