Jerry Seinfeld wanted Chris Rock to parody Will Smith slapping him at the 2022 Oscars for his Netflix movie Unfrosted.
While appearing on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s podcast Fly on the Wall this week, Seinfeld said he initially wanted to cast Rock in the role as the host of the Bowl & Spoon Awards, which eventually went to Cedric the Entertainer.
“We shot that right after the Will Smith slap,” Seinfeld said. “I was going to have somebody come up on the stage and have Chris punch ’em out as they got there.”
However, Rock “wasn’t up to perform” the parody of the incident. “He was a little shook from that event,” Seinfeld explained. “That was what that scene was going to be, but Cedric saved the day.”
When Seinfeld asked Spade and Carvey if they thought the scene would’ve been funny with Rock, the hosts confirmed that it didn’t need the comedian.
“Without the Will Smith thing, I think it’s funny. There’s still kind of a residual darkness around that moment,” opined Carvey. “But if Chris is there and wants to do it, you get it.”
Seinfeld was thankful the role went to Cedric instead, saying he wasn’t sure if “it would have worked” after all.
Unfrosted is a fictional take on the creation of Pop-Tarts, as cereal rivals Kellogg’s and Post battle to create a pastry that will change breakfast forever. While it is true that both brands competed to create what ended up becoming the Pop-Tart, the movie exaggerates the story, creating a world where cereal rules supreme. The star-studded cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Jim Gaffigan and Hugh Grant.
At the 2022 Oscars, Smith shocked everyone when he stood up from his seat, walked onstage and slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith starring in G.I. Jane 2 because of her shaved head. After smacking Rock, Smith repeatedly shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” Smith has since apologized multiple times for his actions and resigned from the Academy, but he was banned from appearing at Film Academy events, including the Oscars, for 10 years. He can still, however, be nominated for and win an Oscar and retains the best actor trophy he won after the slap at the 2022 ceremony for his role in King Richard.
Rock addressed the slap roughly a year after the incident in his live Netflix comedy special Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, saying, “People are like, did it hurt? It still hurts! I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears! But, I’m not a victim, baby.”
In September, Leslie Jones said the slap “really affected” Rock, who “had to go to counseling with his daughters.”
