Ticket Sales for Chris Rock's Comedy Tour Soar After Oscars Altercation

Ticket resale website TickPick said they sold "more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight" than they had "in the past month combined" following Sunday's Oscars telecast

Chris Rock
Chris Rock. Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty

Everybody wants to see Chris Rock.

Ticket sales for the 57-year-old comedian's upcoming comedy tour are reportedly surging after he was slapped onstage by Will Smith during Sunday's Oscars telecast.

Secondary ticket seller TickPick tweeted Monday that they saw an increase in sales to see Rock perform following the incident, which aired live during the awards show. Rock is scheduled to perform at Boston's Wilbur Theater Wednesday through Friday before his Ego Death World Tour begins Saturday.

"We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined," TickPick revealed on Twitter.

The online marketplace told PEOPLE that over 50% of its sales for Rock's tour "have come since the Oscars." Tickets first went on sale on Feb. 24.

For more on the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident at the Oscars, listen below to our daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day.

Brett Goldberg, TickPick co-founder and co-CEO, told PEOPLE in a statement, "The circumstances surrounding the incident at the Oscars continue to cause demand to surge for Chris Rock's tour. More than 50 percent of tour sales on our platform have come through since Sunday's Oscars and we expect this trajectory to continue."

Smith, 53, struck Rock while the comedian was presenting at the Academy Awards. The King Richard actor was seated in the audience while Rock introduced the Best Documentary category, and made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

"Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see ya," Rock said, referring to Jada's shaved head and the similar hairstyle Demi Moore's character sports in the film.

Jada has been open about her struggles with hair loss and alopecia, and debuted her shaved hairstyle in July 2021. After hearing Rock's joke, Jada rolled her eyes and Will initially laughed. Then, the actor hopped out of his seat to join Rock onstage, where he struck the comic across the face.

chris rock and will smith
Chris Rock; Will Smith. Getty (2)

"Oh wow," Rock said as Smith returned to his seat. "Will Smith just smacked the s--- out of me."

When Will yelled from his seat to Rock, "Keep my wife's name out your f---ing mouth!," Rock replied, "Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke," and went on to present the award for Best Documentary.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a statement Monday afternoon condemning Will's actions at the awards show, and announced the launch of a "formal review around the incident."

The Academy referenced their Standards of Conduct, stating, "Members should act in a manner consistent with the good reputation of the Academy," and noted that unacceptable conduct includes "physical contact that is uninvited and, in the situation, inappropriate and unwelcome."

If a member has violated the standards, "the Academy may take any disciplinary action permitted by the Academy's Bylaws, up to and including suspension of membership or expulsion from membership," they stated.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

On Monday evening, Will issued an apology to Rock on Instagram, where he described his behavior at the Oscars as "unacceptable and inexcusable."

"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong," he wrote. "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."

Will also apologized to the Academy, the Oscars producers, all attendees and "everyone watching around the world." He also issued an apology to the Williams family, the subject of his film King Richard (his performance in which he won Best Actor for), and his "family" from the film.

"I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us," Will wrote.

Rock has not yet publicly addressed the altercation, and has so far declined to press charges.

Related Articles