If the Oscars want Chris Rock back, they're going to have to nominate him

Four years after the slap, Chris Rock returns with a new film, Misty Green, and a distinct lack of interest in the Academy Awards.

By Matt Schimkowitz | September 8, 2026 | 5:28pm

News News Chris Rock

If the Oscars want Chris Rock back, they're going to have to nominate him

It’s been four years since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at the Academy Awards ceremony, when, minutes later, Smith would win his first Oscar. In an era when nothing feels strange or surreal anymore, the Slap stood out as a particularly noteworthy assault by one of the world’s most famous men upon one of the world’s most famous men. Oscar winner Will Smith was banned from attending Academy events for the next decade, meaning the next time he’ll be allowed to join the festivities is only six years away. But what of the slapped? Chris Rock, a former Oscars host, hasn’t returned to the ceremony and, per Variety, he won’t be doing so unless he scores a nod. Though he feels pretty certain that “I’m not getting nominated.”

“The only way I’ll go back is if I’m nominated, and I’m not getting nominated,” Rock says. “And that’s OK. We’ll deal with that if it happens. Like, let’s manage expectations.”

Rock is currently promoting his latest directorial effort, Misty Green, in which he stars as a film director helping a fading starlet get back on track. That’s his primary focus at the moment, and he seems more than happy to stop answering questions about “a bad day.”

“I wish nothing would have happened,” he continued. “I don’t want to say anything that takes any attention away from [Misty Green star Rosalind Eleazar] and how good she is in this movie. It’s a crazy world. We walk by homeless people,” Rock says “There’s all sorts of shit going on right now. Me having a bad day is not the biggest — it’s not that important.”

Join the discussion...

Keep scrolling for more great stories.