Chris Rock spoke on a podcast earlier this year about his past experience with bullying and how it caused him to let people “walk him all over the place”.
The 57-year-old comedian, who was slapped by Will Smith after making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair at Sunday’s Oscars, appeared on the Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade podcast on January 12, where he shared his past experiences and how it affected him as an adult.
Rock said he was “ridiculously bullied” as a kid, adding, “Half the bullying happened because I was just a little guy. Then I was taken to school by bus and the bullying was because it was me [a] little guy and i was black. I was bullied twice over.”
The Latest: Chris Rock, 57, opened up on a podcast earlier this year about his past experience with bullying and how it caused him to “spill over” with people. The comic was screened at the Oscars at the Dolby Theater on Sunday, where Will Smith, 53, infamously slapped him across the face
Rock recalled an incident in which he fought back against one of his tormentors.
“I went home, put a brick in a book bag — it’s like a legendary story in my neighborhood,” he said. “I was swinging that shit and hitting that guy in the face with that brick and stepping on him, Joe Pesci style, to the point where we thought he might die.”
Rock said the incident caused him to fear his own ability to anger and in turn let people “walk around” him to avoid conflict.
“Long story short, from that day on, as my shrink puts it to me, you were afraid to be angry,” Rock said. “The guy you saw was bending over backwards to be nice because I was so scared of my anger.”
Rock said his childhood experiences caused him to fear his own ability to be angry, in exchange for letting people “run all over the place” to avoid conflict
The exchange between Smith and Rock came after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head
Rock said his therapist advised him to go beyond the exchange to help him in his adult life.
He said his therapist said, “This guy brought something out of you and you’re so scared of that thing coming out of you that you let the whole world loose on you.
“Your friends go over you, your friends go over you, your female relationships — everyone just fucks you up.”
Rock said that he was finally able to express his anger without explosiveness.
“I’m not afraid to let people know what I think about certain things,” Rock said. ‘Now I can say, ‘Hey, I don’t like what you said to me’ without losing my head, without hitting someone in the head with a frigging brick.’
The exchange between Smith and Rock came after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, saying, “Jada I love you GI Jane 2 can’t wait to see it,” in reference to the film from 1997, which featured Demi Moore with his head shaved. (Pinkett Smith, 50, has been diagnosed with alopecia, which causes hair loss.)
Smith then took to the stage and slapped Rock, then returned to his seat and yelled at him twice, “Keep my wife’s name out of your friggin’ mouth!” in front of a stunned audience at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California.
Smith apologized in his emotional acceptance speech after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor and other nominees, but made no mention of Rock
Smith apologized again on Instagram Monday, calling himself a “work in progress” after the unprecedented incident.
Smith apologized to the Academy and other nominees in his emotional acceptance speech after winning the Best Actor Oscar for his role as tennis patriarch Richard Williams in King Richard, but made no mention of Rock. In the speech, he compared himself to Williams as a defender of his family.
“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said. “I am called in my life to love people and protect people and be a flow for my people. I know to do what we do you have to be able to take abuse.
“You have to be able to get people talking crazy about you. In this business you have to be able to be disrespected by people. And you have to smile and pretend that’s okay.’
Smith apologized again on Instagram Monday, calling himself a “work in progress” after the unprecedented incident.
“Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Smith said in a statement. “My behavior at the Oscars last night was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s health was too much for me and I reacted emotionally.’
He continued, “I want to publicly apologize to you Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.’
Smith also apologized to the Academy, the show’s producers, guests and viewers, as well as the Williams family and the cast and crew of his film.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Rock has not filed any charges in connection with the incident.