Marlon Wayans Says Chris Rock Was Trying 'To Heal' During Netflix Stand-Up on Will Smith

Marlon Wayans believes Will Smith and Chris Rock are still "hurt," nearly one year after the Oscars slap.

In a guest spot on CBS Mornings, the 50-year-old comedian spoke out about Rock's recent Netflix comedy special, and how he's distilled his feelings about the incident into his own HBO Max comedy special God Loves Me.

"It was good to hear him speak about it. You could tell it was passionate," Wayans said Monday about the comments Rock, 58, made in his Selective Outrage special. "What you heard was somebody that was hurt, somebody that was finding their way to heal in that moment."

The White Chicks actor reached out to Smith, 54, in the aftermath of the infamous slap and said the Emancipation actor's behavior during last year's awards ceremony was uncharacteristic.

"I think Will's hurt has nothing to do with Chris," Wayans said. "Maybe something that's happened in Will's life. That was a snap moment. That brother snapped. That's not Will. Will's composed."

The Scary Movie star said the tension between the two — evident in Rock's assessment of the event in his comedy special — should now be resolved.

"I don't think it's ever cool to hit somebody. But I do think that at some point we can't let that just sit there," said Wayans. "I think for our children, for our people, for the people, that we just can't sit in pain and not come to terms. And I think we can all make mistakes, but at some point... let's sit down and come to the table and fix this."

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of his comedy special's release last week, Wayans said that he chose not to ask for either star's insight once he actually began working on the new stand-up routine — which centers on the slap.

"In their art, they don't ask me, 'What do you think of this?' " Wayans said, when asked whether he contacted either Rock or Smith. "I think as artists, we all do what we do. Especially because it's such a sensitive subject, I didn't want their opinions."

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"I just hope they gauge and trust that I love them. That I'm being objective," he added of his approach to the topic. "I'm being honest. I'm being real. And that the purpose of this is more healing than it is deconstruction."

The comedian also reiterated his March 2022 comments to PEOPLE that Rock and Smith will eventually make amends, telling THR that he wanted to focus on the importance of mental health by releasing the special.

"When you're these idols in people's eyes, we don't have any license to fail," Wayans said. "And what you saw was [Smith] fail. That can happen to any and every one of us under these pressures. He had the worst moment on the best day of his life."