Chris Rock Doubles Down On Not Returning To The Oscars Unless He's Nominated

An invitation back to the Oscars isn't much of a selling point for Chris Rock these days. Before anyone mistakes his absence for some grand protest against the Academy, the comedian wants to clear something up. His decision to stay away from the ceremony has less to do with making a statement than with his desire to stop revisiting one of the most uncomfortable moments of his career.

The subject resurfaced during Rock's new GQ Men of the Year interview with Zach Baron, who asked about his previous declaration that he wouldn't return to the Oscars unless he received a nomination. "I mean, it's not like a threat or anything," Rock explained. The 61-year-old acknowledged that everyone witnessed what happened in 2022, but he doesn't particularly enjoy discussing it. His reluctance isn't limited to the Academy Awards, either. He suggested the same attitude applies to "any awards show."

Rock originally made the nomination-only remark during a September conversation with Variety, where he also questioned whether his days hosting the Oscars were behind him. "The only way I'll go back is if I'm nominated, and I'm not getting nominated," he said at the time. He praised Conan O'Brien's work as an awards-show host and made clear that he wasn't lobbying for another opportunity himself.

The hesitation is understandable given what happened during the 2022 ceremony. Rock was presenting an award when Will Smith walked onstage and slapped him after a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Smith subsequently apologized and received a 10-year ban from Academy events. Rock eventually addressed the confrontation extensively in his 2023 Netflix special, Selective Outrage, but he's grown increasingly reluctant to let the incident define conversations about his work.

"Something happened. It wasn't cool," he told GQ, explaining that he would rather move forward. Rock acknowledged that the incident would probably follow him throughout his life, despite everything he'd accomplished beforehand. He also pointed to the creative projects demanding his attention, including television and film scripts, along with a book he's writing. He wants audiences to focus on what he's producing rather than continually revisiting that night. After spending much of his career being recognized for what he says onstage, Rock seems considerably more interested in what he can create behind the camera.