Adam Sandler and Joe Rogan Think Chris Rock’s Oscars Slap Helped Him

Chris Rock getting slapped by Will Smith may have been embarrassing in the moment, but Adam Sandler and Joe Rogan think that it’s helped Rock out in the long run — and harmed Smith at the same time.

In a recent conversation for The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan and Sandler spoke about the fallout from the slap and how it impacted Rock. Sandler mentioned that he spoke to Rock recently and he seemed excited about performing stand-up again after the incident.

Rogan reasoned that it’s related to the slap and voiced his opinion about what it’s done for Rock.

“I think that was the best thing that ever happened to him because then (his standup) became wild again,” he said during the podcast. “It became outrageous.”

Rogan and Sandler then speculated on how it impacted Smith, with the former speculating that it's harmed the actor’s legacy. “He probably wakes up in the morning and goes, ‘Why did I do that,’” said Rogan.

The incident they’re referring to, of course, is when Smith walked onstage at the Oscars and slapped Rock in 2022. Afterwards, the actor returned to his seat and told the comedian to keep his “wife’s name out” of his “fucking mouth.”

Smith was pissed that Rock made a joke about Jada-Pinkett Smith’s hair by saying she was set to star in a sequel to G.I. Jane.

“Wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me,” Rock said. Soon after, he added, “That was the greatest night in the history of television.”

In an interview last year, comedian Leslie Jones revealed that the slap impacted Rock so much that he had to get counseling with his family afterwards.

"That shit was humiliating. It really affected him," said Jones. "People need to understand his daughters, his parents, saw that. He had to go to counseling with his daughters."