Jerry Seinfeld Asked Chris Rock to Parody the Will Smith Oscars Slap in ‘Unfrosted,’ but Rock ‘Was A Little Shook’ From It and ‘Wasn’t Up to Perform’
Jerry Seinfeld revealed during a recent interview on the “Fly on the Wall” podcast (via People) that he wanted Chris Rock to parody the infamous Oscars slap in his feature directorial debut “Unfrosted,” which recently premiered on Netflix. The issue was that Seinfeld filmed the comedy movie not long after the March 2022 Oscars, and Rock was allegedly feeling too “shook” to be able to perform in the movie.
“The other thing I wanted to do that I almost did was Chris Rock was going to be the emcee of the Bowl & Spoon Awards — and we shot that right after the Will Smith slap,” Seinfeld explained. “I was going to have somebody come up on the stage and have Chris punch ’em out as they got there.”
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“Unfrosted” is loosely based on the true story of the creation of Pop-Tarts. Set in 1963, it tracks the rivalry between cereal companies Kellogg’s and Post as they compete to have the breakfast pastry hit the market first. Seinfeld stars in the movie opposite Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Max Greenfield, Hugh Grant and Amy Schumer.
At the beginning of the film, Cedric the Entertainer appears as an awards host named Stu Smiley. He’s hosting the Bowl & Spoon Awards, which honor the best in breakfast. It appears Seinfeld originally envisioned Rock for the role and wanted to work in a moment that parodied the Oscars slap. In the finished film, Cedric the Entertainer’s character does not have any altercation while hosting the awards show.
Seinfeld said on the podcast that Rock “wasn’t up to perform” to soon after the 2022 Oscars, where Will Smith slapped him across the face after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith.
“He was a little shook from that event,” Seinfeld said. “That was what that scene was going to be, but Cedric saved the day. I love Cedric.”
Seinfeld asked “Fly on the Wall” podcast co-hosts Dana Carvey and David Spade if they thought Rock parodying the Oscars slap would’ve been funny. Carvey said that it would’ve have played well “without the Will Smith thing,” but because the Oscars slap happened “there’s still kind of a residual darkness around that moment.”
“Isn’t that we’re attracted to more than anything, residual darkness?” Seinfeld replied. “I don’t know if it would have worked. It was an idea.”
Rock largely avoided the spotlight in the months after the 2022 Oscars. Smith issued an apology and resigned from the Academy amid backlash over slapping Rock. The Academy ended up banning him from the Oscars for 10 years.
Watch Seinfeld’s full appearance on the “Fly on the Wall” podcast in the video below.
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