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Chris Rock’s brother wants to duke it out with Will Smith after his viral slap of the comedian at the Oscars.
Kenny Rock recently signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing founder Damon Feldman to fight this summer in Florida.
Kenny has yet to be matched with an opponent, but when pressed by TMZ, he hinted that going face-to-face with Smith isn’t a bad idea.
“I should get in the ring with Will Smith,” Kenny, Chris’ younger brother, said, adding, “No ifs, ands or buts about it. I’ll let the hands do the talking.”
(Getty Images)
Kenny was also questioned about how Chris is doing since the slap played out for millions on live television.
“He’s doing great. I haven’t seen him, but we’ve talked,” Kenny said.
The comedian‘s brother went on to assume that Chris likely hasn’t accepted Smith’s apology.
“I doubt it very seriously,” Kenny said, stressing that he actually hasn’t discussed that with his brother yet.
“I didn’t want to bring it up,” he added.
Kenny went on to say “we’ll have to see” if the film Academy keeps its promise on banning Smith from the ceremony for 10 years. He suggested he’s not sold on the Academy sticking to their plan.
Last week, the Academy ruled that Smith is not allowed to attend the Oscars or any Academy events for 10 years.
Promoter Damon Feldman poses with Kenny Rock during an official contract signing for a Celebrity Boxing match on April 12, 2022, in New York City.
(John Lamparski)
“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” the board of governors said in a letter.
“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our academy family around the world, and we fell short – unprepared for the unprecedented.
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Will Smith hits Chris Rock before the comedian presented the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
“Today, the board of governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. The board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.
“We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.
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Will Smith receiving his award for “King Richard” at the Oscars.
(Foto AP/Chris Pizzello)
“This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests and restoring trust in the academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted.”
Following the board’s decision, Smith issued a brief statement. “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” the statement obtained by Fox News Digital read.
Smith’s apology to Rock came in the form of a statement he shared on social media one day after the broadcast. Since then, Rock has declared he won’t be speaking about the incident “until I get paid.”
