Chris Rock has turned down an offer to host the Oscars in 2023, according to the Guardian.
During a stand-up show on Sunday night in Phoenix, Arizona, the American comedian revealed that the awards organizers asked him to return to present the most important evening for the film industry. Note that The Rock hosted guests in 2005 and 2016).

At the 2022 Oscars and during the presentation of the Best Documentary category, the comedian was slapped by Will Smith for a funny comment about Smith’s wife Jada’s shaved head, which suffers from alopecia. Smith has faced fines from the Academy and will be out of the awards for a long time.

During the stand-up show, Rock reportedly compared accepting the Oscars to returning to the scene of a crime, citing the trial of O.J. Simpson, who was charged with the murder of his ex-wife.

According to the Arizona Republic, someone in the audience yelled “talk about it” in reference to Smith’s slap. The Rock then compared it to Smith’s Oscar-winning performance as boxer Muhammad Ali in the biopic Ali.

“He is bigger than me. The state of Nevada wouldn’t approve of a fight between the two of us.” The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has not commented on Rock’s claims.

In April, the Academy board banned Smith from attending the Oscars or any other event for 10 years. The week prior to this decision, Smith resigned as a member of the Academy.

In early August, the Academy’s new chief executive said he was “ready to host the 2023 event” after three years without a specific central figure. In fact, as he mentioned, “he is already looking for key colleagues” to help him.

In addition, he emphasized: “We want to go further and organize a ceremony dedicated to cinema. That’s what we’re focusing on right now.”

According to The Guardian