Chris Rock Should Be Called Christ Rock!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

https://youtu.be/Aa6H2opvNT4

Wanda Sykes Reveals Chris Rock Apologized to Her After He Was Hit by Will Smith at Oscars

“I was like, ‘Why are you apologizing?’ He was like, ‘It was supposed to be your night,’ ” said Wanda Sykes, who hosted the Oscars with Amy Schumer and Regina Hall

Wanda Sykes revealed that Chris Rock actually apologized to her after being hit by Will Smith onstage at the Academy Awards.

On Wednesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Sykes, 58, shared how the incident played out from her perspective as an Oscars host (she co-hosted along with Regina Hall and Amy Schumer). The actress and comedian told DeGeneres that she “felt so awful for my friend Chris” when she found out about it while backstage.

“I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this, but I saw Chris at [Guy Oseary’s after party] and as soon as I walked up to him, the first thing he said is, ‘I’m so sorry.’ I was like, ‘Why are you apologizing?’ He was like, ‘It was supposed to be your night. You and Amy and Regina were doing such a great job. I’m so sorry this is now gonna be about this.’ “

“Because that’s who Chris is,” added Sykes.

About the altercation itself, Sykes said, “It was sickening. It was absolutely— I physically felt ill, and I’m still a little traumatized by it. And for them to let [Will] stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was like, ‘How gross is this?’ This sends the wrong message. If you assault somebody, you get escorted out the building and that’s it. But for them to let him continue, I thought it was gross.”

Chris Rock and Will Smith | CREDIT: NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY

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Sykes said she feels she and her co-hosts deserve an apology: “We were the hosts, right? So we were, this is our house, we’re inviting you in, we’re hosts, we’re gonna take care of y’all tonight and make sure you have a good time. And no one has apologized to us. We worked really hard to put that show together, so just the industry itself, I’m like, ‘What the hell is this?’ “

In a statement to PEOPLE Monday night, Sykes said, “Violence is never the answer.”

CREDIT: NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY

Will struck Rock onstage after a joke made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock declined to press charges.

In his apology on Monday, Will said, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”

RELATED VIDEO: Chris Rock Said He Let People ‘Walk All Over’ Him 2 Months Before Will Smith Smacked Him at Oscars

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness,” he continued. “I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.”