Chris Rock turns down offer to host Oscars 2023

Chris Rock has reportedly turned down the Academy's offer to host next year's Oscars award ceremony.

The Gist: According to reports, Rock made the revelation during a Standup comedy show last Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona where he compared returning to host the show to returning to the scene of a crime.

Returning to the Oscars would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson "to go back to the restaurant," Rock reportedly said referencing the night of OJ Simpson's ex-wife's murder.

Recall that Will Smith attacked Rock at the 2022 Oscars early this year, over a joke he made about Jada Pinkett's struggle with alopecia resulting in her bald look.

Chris Rock and Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 27, 2022 Photo credit: Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times Pulse Ghana

The attack sparked major controversial takes online mostly targeted at Jada and Smith. The actor has since made a number of public apologies to the Academy, Rock and his family over the slap which earned him a 10-year ban from the Oscars or any Academy related event.

After a much deserved break from social media, presumably over online attacks, Smith shared an emotional apology video to Rock and everyone hurt in the process.

While the Academy has made no comments on Rock's decision to avoid the Oscars live stage, Bill Kramer, the incoming Academy CEO, confirmed earlier this month that the slap would be off-limits for jokes at next year’s ceremony. “We want to move forward and to have an Oscars that celebrates cinema. That’s our focus right now,” he said per The Guardian.