Chris Rock emerges in Paris for first time since Jada Pinkett Smith claimed he asked her out on DATE amid Will Smith divorce rumors before THAT Oscars slap
Chris Rock has come out for the first time since Jada Pinkett Smith made the bombshell claim that he once asked her out, years before Will Smith infamously slapped him at the Oscars.
The comedian, 58, was spotted in Paris on Thursday in a casual outfit, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a baseball cap.
He had his mobile phone firmly in his hand, and was pictured reading it intently during the walk.
In her explosive new memoir, Worthy, Jada claimed that Rock once asked her out when divorce rumors were swirling about her and husband Will.
The 52-year-old actress has been busy dropping bombshells during her promotional tour – including the news that she and Will have been separated for 7 years – and in an interview with Peopleshe said that Chris invited her one summer to accompany her romantically.
“I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting divorced,” Jada began. “And this summer, Chris, he thought we were going to get divorced.”
Spotted: Chris Rock was spotted in Paris on Thursday after Jada Pinkett Smith said he once asked her out when divorce rumors were swirling about her and husband Will
Checking the headlines? At one point, the comedian (58) was studying his mobile phone
“So he called me and basically said, ‘I’d like to take you out,'” she recalled. ‘And I was like, “What do you mean?” He said, “Well, aren’t you and Will getting a divorce?” I was like, “No, Chris, it’s just a rumor.”
‘He was disgusted. And he apologized profusely and that was that.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Chris’ representatives for comment.
Jada also shared that she hasn’t spoken to Chris since the infamous Oscar slap, when Will slapped Chris after the comedian made a joke about Jada’s bald head.
“(Do I) have any desire to talk to Chris? Here’s my wish: I just hope that all the misunderstandings about this can be cleared up and there can be peace,” she told the publication.
“I talk about that in the book, I think there might be some misunderstanding between Chris and I regarding the Oscars in 2016. I think he might have taken offense, which I didn’t mean to offend. That was not my intention. But I think there is a big misunderstanding there.’
The 2016 drama began when Will didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for his role in Concussion. This exclusion coincided with a year in which no actor of color was nominated in any acting category, giving rise to the #OscarsSoWhite movement.
In response, some artists boycotted the awards show in protest, including Jada, who even called for Chris to step down as host of that year’s ceremony.
More claims: Jada also revealed Chris came to apologize after his joke about a bald head during the Oscars promoted Will storming the stage and slapping him last year
Low key: The star wore a casual outfit, black-rimmed glasses and a baseball hat for the outing
However, Chris didn’t give up and instead joked about Jada during the Oscars, saying: ‘Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties – I’m not invited.’
Looking back, Jada said she ‘didn’t realize the level of pressure (Chris) could have been under’ at the time.
“I probably should have called him and said, ‘Hey, are you okay?’ And just know that even though I’m talking about the Oscars, I wish you the best and I just want you to know that, “I took the time to call him and say that, just to touch base,” she told People. “But his feelings may have been hurt.”
She said the pair apologized to each other shortly after the 2016 incident, but didn’t speak until the 2022 Oscars fiasco, where Chris tried to apologize again, this time for a bald joke, per Jade.
“Chris came to the end of the stage and tried to apologize to me. He said, “I meant you no harm.” I said, “I can’t talk about this right now, Chris. This is some old s—.”‘
Shocking revelations: Jada also revealed the explosive news that she and Will have been secretly separated for 7 years; seen in 2022
As for her reaction to the joke, Jada said: ‘I mean, that’s what comedians do.’
“I just have to say that I’m not here to pass any judgment on how people choose to express themselves and express their art.” I will say that I definitely hurt my feelings a few times. Chris hurt me a lot. But at the end of the day, also being in the spotlight comes with the territory.’
In the same interview, Jada also revealed that she and Will have been secretly separated for the past seven years – as she admitted that the couple, who married in 1997, are still trying to ‘figure out’ what the future holds for their marriage. Looks like.
Speaking to Hoda on the Today Show on Wednesday, Jada explained why her marriage to Will fell apart, revealing: “By the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted from trying. I think we were both still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.’
Jada – who admitted in 2020 that she had an affair with singer August Alsin – said she was considering a legal divorce but could never go through with it, candidly revealing that she made her husband a “promise” never to give him ‘ reason’ for divorce.
“I promised there would never be a reason for us to divorce,” she continued. “We will work through anything.” And I just wasn’t able to break that promise.’
“But you still live apart?” Hoda questioned, prompting Jada to confirm “we live separately”.
Slap heard ’round the world: Will infamously slaps Chris at 2022 Oscars after Jada joke
Speaking with PeopleJada admitted that the couple were in fact living apart when her husband slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars when he took to the stage in a fit of rage over a joke about his wife’s bald haircut.
She noted that no permanent decisions have been made about the future of her marriage, explaining that she and Will are “still figuring things out.”
“We did really hard work together,” she said. ‘We just have a deep love for each other and we’re going to figure out what that looks like.’
Jada went on to praise her children – Jayden, 25, Willow, 22, and Trey, 30, who is Will’s son from a previous relationship – for being there for her during this difficult time in her relationship.