One year after “the slap” at the 2022 Oscars, Chris Rock addressed Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith in his Netflix special, which aired last Friday. It took him a year to figure out what to say and, in that year, he never once had a moment where he considered altering his worldview or perhaps made the decision to speak differently about Black women. In the aftermath of his special, the reaction has been pretty remarkable: overwhelming disgust at Rock’s blatant pandering to a white audience, disgust that Rock continues to attack Jada, a woman who has done nothing to him, and disgust with Rock’s contradictory, nonsensical attacks on Meghan Markle. One year after the slap, it feels like even more people are like “wow, I understand why Will Smith slapped him.”

Interestingly enough, around the one-year anniversary, Jada’s friends are talking too. Jada must have been unsettled by Rock’s continued and unprovoked attacks on her in his Netflix show, where he repeatedly referred to her as “bitch” and shared his delusions that Jada had somehow been criticizing him for years (she has not). Jada’s people said it flat-out: Rock has been obsessed with Jada in this bizarre way for almost 30 years. He even filmed the Netflix thing in Baltimore, Jada’s hometown. Well, Chris Rock read that People story and he ran straight to Page Six to cry about how he didn’t pick Jada’s hometown because of Jada. Some highlights:

Rock’s side says Will Smith still hasn’t “personally apologized”: Will Smith still has not personally apologized to Chris Rock nearly one year after the infamous 2022 Oscars slap, a source tells Page Six. “Will did call Chris last year after the Oscars, but Chris didn’t pick up. And they haven’t spoken since,” a source who knows both men tells Page Six exclusively. “Chris was open for a call until Will made his public apologies, and then all of those ‘Red Table Talk’ discussions,” the insider continues, referring to Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook Watch show, on which she once shared her hope that her husband and his onetime friend could “reconcile.”

Will’s multiple apologies: Smith, 54, has apologized for the incident twice via Instagram: in a written statement the day after the awards show in March 2022 and in an emotional video in July. “Will’s two public apologies were all about saving his own reputation,” the source claims to us. “Will has not apologized to Chris Rock in person — and Chris isn’t expecting it.”

Rock’s closure: In fact, Rock, 58, is ready to move on now that he has said his piece in his live special. “This was closure for Chris,” our source says. “He wanted to do that in a safe space.”

Why Rock filmed in Baltimore: The insider also denies a recent People magazine report that claimed Rock chose to film his special in Baltimore because Pinkett Smith, 51, grew up there. “[He] performed there five times last year, and he loves the audience,” the source explains. “The choice of venue wasn’t because Chris has been obsessed with Jada ‘for 30 years,’ as it had been claimed. It is because he feels comfortable in the venue and audience.”

[From Page Six]

He liked the vibe of… Baltimore? Don’t get me wrong, Baltimore is a vibrant American city. But… Rock could have gone to Philadelphia or New York or DC or Boston or Chicago or literally anywhere else and sold out. Baltimore does seem like a very specific choice and by that I mean, specific to Jada. As I said, it’s giving Incel. I still believe the stories about Jada rejecting Rock in the ‘90s. That’s his energy – a guy who has been rejected and spends years obsessing over the woman who rejected him.

As for Will not “personally” apologizing to Rock – Will has made it clear multiple times that he’s reached out to Rock and that he would like to apologize in person and clear the air. Rock has refused, because clearing the air might mean that Will would call him to account for his obsession with denigrating Will’s wife.

Photos courtesy of Kirill Bichutsky/Netflix, Avalon Red.