Chris Rock tells Phoenix crowd he turned down opportunity to host Oscars again

ABC

Following his infamous Oscar night slap at the hands of Will Smith, Chris Rock told the crowd during his show at the Arizona Financial Theatre in downtown Phoenix on Sunday night that he was asked to host next year’s award ceremony, but refused.

According to AZCentral, the 57-year-old comedian joked that returning to the Oscars would be like returning to the scene of a crime, referencing the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, whose ex-wife’s killing began with her leaving a pair of eyeglasses at an Italian restaurant.

Rock compared returning to the award ceremony to asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go