The Oscars rarely require a security detail for jokes, but March 27, 2022, rewrote that rulebook in live television history. When Chris Rock referenced Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head with a G.I. Jane joke, Will Smith walked on stage and slapped him, which was a moment that did not just become a meme fest but a pop culture phenomenon with lasting effects on both actors. Will Smith walked away with a Best Actor Oscar that night, and a decade-long pause button on the Academy for 'Slapgate.'

That is precisely why rumors of Chris Rock asking out Jada Pinkett Smith after the slap feel even more combustible, though truth and fiction are doing a rather messy tango.

Jada Pinkett Smith did confirm that Chris Rock once asked her out on a date, but crucially, the moment predates the Oscars incident by several years. In her memoir Worthy, Pinkett Smith first revealed the anecdote, later clarifying details in an interview with PEOPLE. The timeline matters, as the interaction occurred during a period of persistent divorce speculation surrounding her marriage to Will Smith.

“I'd love to take you out,” Chris Rock reportedly said during a phone call that Pinkett Smith recounted. The comedian, according to Pinkett Smith, believed she and Will Smith were separating. When she corrected him, explaining that no divorce was actually underway, Rock was said to be startled and immediately apologetic about the misunderstanding.

"Chris hates that she keeps bringing it up and bringing up the other revelations about Chris asking her on a date and all of that," was what the source told The Daily Mail. Chris Rock has kept publicly silent, though his stance suggests a man thoroughly unimpressed with recurring cameos in Jada Pinkett Smith’s storytelling.

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Given Chris Rock’s post-slap stance, the idea that he would ask Jada Pinkett Smith, who is quite unhappy with the attempts of her husband to keep her happy, out now feels wildly implausible.

In the years following the Oscars incident, there has been no reconciliation between Chris Rock and the Smiths. Jada Pinkett Smith publicly expressed on Red Table Talk that she hoped for healing and a private conversation. However, an insider suggested that Rock was not interested in revisiting the moment and instead remained focused on his ongoing comedy tour and professional commitments.

Will Smith later confirmed that he had personally reached out to Chris Rock in an attempt to address the situation. In a recorded message, Smith explained that the response he received made it clear Rock was not ready to engage. It was less a door slammed shut and more one carefully kept closed, suggesting that distance, not dialogue, remained the preferred arrangement.

Jada Pinkett Smith, during her Worthy press tour, reiterated that there had still been no direct communication with Rock since the ceremony. Sources close to the comedian have consistently indicated that he prefers to avoid being drawn into the couple’s public narrative. That continued distance makes the idea of any post-slap romantic rumor involving Jada Pinkett Smith feel especially unlikely.

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What do you think of Chris Rock's repeated cameos during Jada Pinkett Smith's memoir promotion? Let us know in the comments!