Chris Rock tour ticket sales skyrocket after Will Smith Oscars slap

30 March 2022, 06:28 | Updated: 30 March 2022, 06:29

Tickets for Chris Rock's world tour have surged after he was slapped by Will Smith onstage at the Oscars, with one website revealing it has sold more tickets in the wake of the spat than in the last month.

The comedian was slapped by Smith while presenting an award at the 94th annual Academy Awards show after he made a joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith and her hair loss, which was caused by alopecia.

Ticket retailer TickPick said it had "sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined".

While US ticket seller StubHub said sales had increased by more than 25 times in the 48 hours since the incident.

Smith, who won best actor for his role as King Edward, has apologised for the incident, admitting he was "out of line and wrong".

The 53-year-old said his actions were "unacceptable and inexcusable" and denounced violence in all its forms as "poisonous and destructive".

Pinkett Smith, 50, also welcomed a "season for healing" in a post shared to Instagram.

Read more: Oscars organisers condemn Will Smith over Chris Rock slap and launch formal review

Read more: Oscars smackdown: Will Smith apologises after slapping Chris Rock over jibe about wife

Watch slow-motion clip of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

StubHub said that cumulative sales for Rock's Ego Death World Tour in the days since the incident had surpassed the previous number of sales of the entirety of March.

The tour is due to start on April 2.

"Now that we are 48 hours from Sunday evening, it's evident that demand for Chris Rock shows has jumped dramatically, based on our ticket buying trends on StubHub," a spokesperson for StubHub told The Hollywood Reporter.

"At this stage in his tour, on an average day, we'd expect to see a spike in sales in the 24 or 48 hours prior to a show date as last-minute sales roll in - but it is incredibly unusual to see the spike we have experienced.

"With daily sales remarkably more than twenty-five times higher than the average we have seen in the last month, we anticipate this interest will likely sustain for a short time."

Read more: 'I was out of line': Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock for 'embarrassing' Oscars slap

Columnist Sarah Vine speaks about Will Smith Oscars slap

The Oscars show was thrown into chaos when the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star leapt up onstage and slapped Rock after he referred to Pinkett Smith's buzzcut.

Rock said: "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2," prompting the actress to roll her eyes.

Smith walked up on stage and hit Rock before returning to his seat and shouting twice: "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth."

Later, as he collected the award for best actor for his performance in King Richard, Smith apologised to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but not to Rock, joking that he "looks like the crazy father".

Read more: 'The first time I've ever seen him go off': Will Smith's mum speaks out on Oscars slap

He later apologised online and described himself as a "work in progress", explaining that Rock's joke about his wife's medical condition caused him to react "emotionally".

Organiser of the Oscars, The Academy, condemned the violence and said a formal review has been launched.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said no report had been filed after the incident.