MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Chris Rock's class hailed as he opens up about slapgate after getting 3-minute STANDING OVATION at first show

The comedian said he will talk about slapgate 'at some point', in his first appearance after Oscars during a sell-out gig in Boston

Days after being slapped by Will Smith, Chris Rock is "still processing" the events of the 94th Academy Awards. The comedian revealed where his head was at during a gig in Boston on March 30, his first since the incident. He also told attendees that he didn't have any jokes about slapgate, which some users online praised.

Starting off his comedy tour at the Wilbur in Boston, Rock walked out to a huge standing ovation that lasted nearly there minutes. As he attempted to speak through the rapturous din, the comedian said, “You got me all misty and shit.” 

Whether he likes it or not, the comedian's popularity has soared in the aftermath of slapgate. One ticket site revealed "We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined," on March 29. Rock was also hailed by social media after "carrying on like a pro" after Smith's slap, but as we now know, he was far from ok. After he went backstage, a shaken Rock met with police and the show's producers. 

RELATED ARTICLES

Hilarious Wikipedia entry says why Will Smith REALLY slapped Chris Rock

Rocky Road: All about Chris Rock and Will Smith's long-brewing feud

It appears that days later, Rock still hasn't shaken off Smith's slap. The comedian made his first public appearance since the Academy Awards at the Wilbur Theater in Boston, where he performed to a sell-out crowd. Here's what he had to say about slapgate.

'I’m still kinda processing'

"You got me all misty and s--t," Rock said as he walked on stage to loud applause. The standing ovation lasted a few minutes, following which Rock asked, "How was your weekend?" Without wasting any more time, he addressed the elephant in the room. "I don’t have a bunch of s--t about what happened. I had like a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I’m still kinda processing what happened. So at some point, I’ll talk about that s--t." 

He then said, "So I’m gonna tell some jokes. It’s nice to be out," and dove straight into his set, even as one man reportedly yelled, "Sue him Chris, sue him." Of course, the set wasn't without incident. Midway, The New York Post reported that a man was maced and kicked out by security guards after an altercation in the back of the orchestra. It was loud enough for Rock to deviate for a minute and ask, "Is the entire tour going to be like this?" 

According to Fox News, not everyone was happy with the fact Rock glossed over slapgate. "I want my money back, I didn't pay $400 to see nothing," one attendee told Fox reporters. Another said, "We didn't come here just for" Rock's other jokes. A third said, "I wasn't disappointed that he didn't talk about it, but it would've been cool." On social media though, the reactions were slightly different. 

'We don't deserve Chris Rock'

"Very classy @chrisrock. So glad you didn't joke about the *slap* at your show in Boston tonight. If you did it wouldn't have spoken well of the whole situation. You're a class act, keep that in mind," one user tweeted. Another echoed that sentiment, responding, "Rock is complete class. I feel for him and I hope the best for him." A third said, "We don't deserve Chris Rock."

"Chris your amazing! You handled that situation like a real man should! Your genuine, you've got a beautiful soul. Don't stoop down to his level ur better than that!" one person tweeted. Another said, "Wow. Chris is presenting himself in a really amazing light. Calm and collected. Just going about his business."  Another person tweeted in support of Chris saying: "Dear Chris, Wil Smith - someone whose acting skills I've admired for ever, and I am so glad he finally got an Oscar -- lost a LOT of points with me by slapping you at Oscars. I am WITH you. Take the High Road. Make him GROVEL for your forgiveness; he still does not deserve it."

There were also plenty of people who wondered if Rock would only address slapgate in a Netflix special. While they were far and few in between, they did theorize that Rock was going to rake in on his popularity and mint millions. In contrast, a majority seemed pleased at Rock's handling of the situation.