Chris Rock has recently been under fire after he joked that he watched Emancipation just so he could see Will Smith "get whipped."

Ahead of his new Netflix show - which is set to premiere today (March 4) -  the 58-year-old tested out some new material at a comedy club, recalling the slapping incident that shocked the world at last year's Academy Awards.

It's almost been a year since Will Smith got out of his seat at the Oscars and headed to the stage to attack Rock for cracking a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Though Smith apologized for his outrageous actions, he has been banned from this year’s prestigious awards, which is set to take place on March 12, as well as nine further ceremonies - whether he is nominated or not.

Talking to a packed venue at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theater, the Death at a Funeral star spoke of the incident saying: "Will Smith practices selective outrage. People who are in the know, know that s*** had nothing to do with me."

He continued: "The thing people wanna know... did it hurt? Hell yeah it hurt," he was quoted as saying at one gig as per the HuffPost. "He played Muhammad Ali! I played Pookie [his role in New Jack City]. Even in animated movies, I’m a zebra, he’s a f****** shark. I got hit so hard, I heard 'Summertime' ringing in my ears."

A source also revealed to the outlet that the comedian is waiting to reveal more during his Netflix special.

"If you were waiting to see Rock on tour address the infamous Will Smith slap situation...the comedian is waiting to spill his humorous take on it on his live Netflix stand-up special."

According to the New York Post, at a different event, Rock also joked that he watched Smith's new movie Emancipation just so he could watch the actor "getting whipped."

"I rooted for Will Smith my whole life," he told the audience. But Rock then told his fan that he's "hate-watching" Smith’s latest movie, in which he plays a tortured, escaped slave.

"The other day, I watched 'Emancipation' just so I could watch him getting whipped."

While the taunt was supposed to be a joke, it didn't sit entirely well with everyone given the sensitive nature of the film.

"Chris Rock can make all the jokes he wants about Will Smith, but making a joke saying 'I only watched Emancipation to see Will Smith get whipped' in a room of predominantly white people is disgusting," this Twitter user wrote.

Another added: "Chris Rock 'joked' about watching Emancipation to watch Will Smith get whipped. Almost a full year after HE made fun of his wife's illness? Remind [me] why f****** SLAPPING was the worse thing to do in this situation?"

A third also described the comedian as "demented" over the gag.

"I don’t think you understand how demented it is that Chris [Rock] said he watched will smith’s movie to witness him being whipped," they tweeted.

An insider told Page Six that "most stand-ups like to test out their material in smaller clubs before they tape a special," but Rock "relied on the help of veteran comedy writers to run his jokes by to make sure they were tweaked, solid and funny."

Considering the reaction, it may be a good idea to "tweak" the Emancipation joke.

Selective Outrage premieres live on Netflix March 4.

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Will Smith has recently opened up about that fateful Oscars night, explaining how the repercussions of his actions have affected him in the aftermath of the scandal.

On Monday night, the 54-year-old actor appeared on Trevor Noah's talk show, The Daily Show, where he revealed that he was filled with "rage" the night he got up on stage and slapped Chris Rock in what has now been slammed as one of the most controversial moments in awards show history.

Earlier this year, during the 94th Academy Awards, Smith got up on stage and struck Rock after the comedian made a joke about the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Referring to her baldness, the comedian said: "Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it."

Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, but this was something Rock allegedly wasn't aware of when he made the remark. In order to defend her honor, the actor stormed the stage and slapped Rock - much to the surprise of the audience as well as thousands of viewers at home.

"Oh, wow. Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me," Rock said after the actor accosted him. Once he was back in his seat, Smith shouted: "Keep my wife’s name out your f****** mouth."

The moment immediately became a hot talking point, with some wondering if it had been scripted. However, it was later confirmed that it was not, and Rock had fallen victim to Smith's rage that night.

Now, in a new interview on The Daily Show, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum has opened up about what prompted his off-the-cuff reaction.

"That was a horrific night, as you can imagine," he started, per Variety. "There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just — I lost it, you know?"

"I was going through something that night, you know?" He continued. "Not that that justifies my behavior at all... It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up in that moment.

"That is not who I want to be."

He also talked about the heartbreaking reaction from his nine-year-old nephew who asked him about the moment.

"My little nephew Dom is nine. He is the sweetest little boy. He had stayed up late to see his uncle Will and we are sitting in my kitchen and he is on my lap and he is holding the Oscar and he is just like, 'Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?'" Smith told Noah.

He then took out some tissues and looked at the host, joking, "Damn it. Why are you trying to Oprah me?"

"It was a mess, you know," the actor concluded.

The interview comes as one of a line-up during his press tour for his new movie Emancipation which is set to hit the big screen December 9.

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Will Smith has allegedly dipped into his own pocket during the filming of his new movie to pay extras who were playing dead bodies in extreme heat.

Smith, 54 - whose latest project Emancipation is based on a Black man who escapes slave traders in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - filmed the movie prior to him slapping Chris Rock across the face earlier this year.

That incident occurred after Rock, who was hosting the Oscars, made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Smith then yelled: "Keep my wife's name out ya f***ing mouth," before storming onto the stage and smacking Rock across the face.

In the wake of the altercation, Smith publicly apologized and is banned from the awards ceremony for 10 years. Though, his newest movie is still able to be nominated.

Antoine Fuqua, the director of Emancipation, told Vanity Fair about Smith's kindness towards the movie's extras, saying: "He was kind to everyone on the set. Will would go around and hug and shake hands - we had 300-something extras and military. Marines [...] He's funny. He's fun. We had certain extras that were the dead bodies in the graves, and he would go give them money for laying there in that heat over 100 degrees."

The 56-year-old then commended Smith on his genuine warmth: "I have nothing but amazing things to say about Will Smith, really genuinely. You can ask anybody that worked on the movie, they'll tell you the same. Nicest person I've ever met in my life."

Fuqua told the outlet that he hoped the fallout from Smith's Oscars slap wouldn't affect the movie's reception in any way, adding: "Of course I wanted people to see the film. My conversation was always, 'Isn't 400 years of slavery, of brutality, more important than one bad moment?'"

He also mentioned that "really ugly things that have taken place" in Hollywood and that we have all seen "a lot of people get awards that have done some really nasty things."

Smith himself discussed the movie in the Vanity Fair piece, describing how he hoped audiences would view it. "This is a critical part of American history and I believe that acknowledging it and learning about it is central to the future betterment and elevation of our country, and even the world."

"At the end of the day, Emancipation is a beautiful piece of art that we hope will help bridge the gap between people. A story that will help all of us find and desire the greatest version of ourselves. This is a movie about freedom. It's about faith, endurance and love. A whole lot of things that the world needs more of right now," he added.

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Will Smith has apologized to Chris Rock after striking him at the 94th Academy Awards.

The 53-year-old actor left the world stunned as he darted out of his seat at the Oscars to strike the 57-year-old comic after the latter appeared to make a joke about his wife Jade Pinkett Smith's shaved head.

Now, nearly a full day after last night's dramatic events, Smith has taken to Instagram to write: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."

He continued: "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.

"I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us."

Smith concluded his post: "I am a work in progress."

Pinkett Smith has previously spoken about being diagnosed with alopecia - an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.

And when Rock, presenting the award for best documentary, joked: "Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it," Pinkett Smith could be seen rolling her eyes, while her husband, Smith, appeared to initially laugh at the gag.

The situation then took an unexpected turn when the Independence Day star suddenly launched onto the stage and slapped the funnyman, who responded in shock, saying: "Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."

Smith then repeatedly told Rock to "leave my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth."

Following the onstage altercation, watched by millions around the world, the LAPD has confirmed that Rock has declined to file a police report.

The department said in a statement per CNN:

"LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another.

"The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."

After his altercation with Rock, Smith was awarded the coveted gong for best actor for his role as Richard Williams, the father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.

Appearing to reference the dramatic encounter, he said: "I wanna apologize to the Academy and to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people, the entire cast and crew."

He added, wiping away tears: "Art imitates life! I looked like the crazy father, just like they said. But love will make you do crazy things."

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Will Smith has seemingly poked fun at his infamous Academy Awards incident with Chris Rock in a new TikTok video.

We all remember where we were when we watched the 94th Academy Awards last year and saw the 54-year-old actor get up on stage and slap the 58-year-old comedian after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Referring to her shaved head, the comedian said: "Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it," which obviously set the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor off as he struck Rock on stage while attempting to defend his wife's honor.

Right after Smith smacked him, the stand-up comic said: "Oh, wow. Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me," while Smith shouted from his seat: "Keep my wife’s name out your f****** mouth."

The incident immediately became a hot talking point, with some viewers wondering if it had been scripted. However, it was later confirmed that it was not and that Rock had fallen victim to the Aladdin star's anger that night.

Since the controversial moment, both stars have spoken about it with Rock describing Smith as the "softest" person "that ever rapped" during an event with Dave Chappelle. He also reportedly claimed that he is not a "victim" - but that the actor's attack still "hurt" him.

On the other hand, the I Am Legend actor expressed his regret in an emotional interview and said that he was "going through something that night".

After the notorious slap, Smith went on to win his first Oscar for Best Actor for his role in King Richard. He then shared an apology, resigned from the Academy, and was later banned from attending all Academy events for 10 years.

Now, in the midst of all the continuous backlash, it looks like the actor has found a lighthearted joke in a video posted on his official TikTok page.

Smith did a duet with a woman - that goes by the handle @missmoneyworking - who spoke about how we can look "at an object" and ask "what it thinks of you".

"So for example, you can pick up a pen and ask it how it sees you and what it thinks of you," she explained. "And you will get an answer in your mind from your intuition.

"You can ask your car what it thinks of you, you can even ask money what it thinks of you," she added before the Bad Boy actor picked up his gold Oscar award and looked at it intensely before facing the camera. He is seen struggling to ask the important question.

The video amassed 844.6K views and 64.1K likes, with many users sharing their funny responses to what the gold statue would probably say to Smith if it could talk.

One user wrote: "Award- 'Why u do that will?'"

Another person said: "Oscar - 'What have we learned?'"

A third user commented: "At least he knows what name it will KEEP OUT OF ITS MOUTH!"

A fourth remarked: "A win is a win."

The Pursuit of Happiness actor's video follows Sunday night's (February 19) broadcast of the BAFTA awards when host Richard E. Grant referenced the slap in his opening speech.

During the ceremony at London's Royal Festival Hall, the actor - who hosted the ceremony alongside Alison Hammond - told the crowd: "Nobody on my watch gets slapped tonight - except on the back," per NME.

It seems like almost one year later, the controversial moment will continue to be referenced at award shows.

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