'Cheerful' Chris Rock Arrives in L.A. on Oscar Weekend 2 Years After Infamous Will Smith Slap

Will Chris Rock attend the 2024 Oscars?

On Thursday, March 7, the comedian — who was infamously slapped by Will Smith while hosting the 2022 Academy Awards — was spotted in L.A. ahead of the Sunday, March 10, ceremony.

Though it is unclear if the star will be returning to the Dolby Theater, he certainly seems set to hit the Oscars party scene this weekend.

The comedian, who did not attend the 2023 Oscars, was seen outside of the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood.

“He was in such a great mood. He was very cheerful, like he was out and about and ready to make the rounds… [The slap] felt like water under the bridge,” an eyewitness shared with a news outlet.

Smith, who assaulted Rock after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, has not been seen in the Californian city. The actor was last spotted filming Bad Boys 4 in Miami.

While at the famous hotel, Rock apparently met up with singer Melissa Etheridge and was very happy to see her.

“He was shouting, ‘Hey Melissa Etheridge, it’s Chris Rock,’ clearly in better spirits [than two years ago],” the insider added.

Etheridge shared a snap of the duo on X, formerly known as Twitter, which showed the duo smiling wide.

“ME: ‘Hello Chris, it’s Melissa Etheridge’ CHRIS: ‘Melissa Mother F------ Etheridge!!!!’ my favorite intro,” she penned.

Former Vanity Fair columnist George Wayne also caught the entertainers’ impromptu meeting and later shared the shot on his Instagram.

“Chris Rock wants to have fun this season… it’s obvious. Which means he’ll prolly [sic] stay all night at [Guy Oseary’s Oscar party] way late Sunday into Monday when the sun comes up on Santa Monica Boulevard,” Wayne claimed, suggesting Rock will not be at the highly anticipated ceremony.

At the time of the infamous slap, Rock reportedly retreated to Oseary’s home, where he was apparently consoled by many A-List pals.

“Chris was very calm, there was a lot of love for him at that party,” a source revealed at the time. “Wanda Sykes was his wingman for the night. He was sitting at Guy’s dining table, and people lined up to console him and offer support.”

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Page Six reported on Rock's outing.