‘It would be like returning to a crime scene’: Chris Rock turns down Oscars gig

Chris Rock has revealed that he was asked to host next year's Academy Awards but declined as returning “would be like returning to a crime scene”, according to reports.

The US comedian made headlines earlier this year when award-winning actor Will Smith walked on stage while the former was presenting and slapped him on live TV.

At the March 27 televised ceremony, Smith strode up to the stage after Rock made a joke about the appearance of the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Less than an hour later, Smith gave a tearful speech on stage as he accepted the best actor award for his role in King Richard. After the ceremony, he was seen dancing at Vanity Fair's annual post-Oscars party.

Rock's joke about Pinkett Smith made a reference to the 1997 film G.I. Jane in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head. It was unclear whether Rock was aware that she has a condition that causes hair loss.

On Monday, a US publication, the Arizona Republic, revealed that the comedian told attendees at a Sunday night show that organisers had asked him to return but he refused.

The comedian, referencing the OJ Simpson murder trial, said returning to host would be like asking Simpson's wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, to return to the restaurant where she left her eyeglasses before she was murdered.

He also spoke out on the infamous slap, saying it hurt as Smith is “bigger” than him. The 57-year-old, who's hosted the ceremony three times, is yet to fully open up on the incident, which saw Smith banned for 10 years from any of the film academy's events, including the Oscars. 

Smith, meanwhile, posted a video on YouTube in July in which he addressed questions about the attack on Rock.

“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith said in the video, in which he was seated in a chair in front of a bookshelf.

“I am deeply remorseful,” Smith added. “I'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I'm a human, and I made a mistake.”

Smith said he had tried to contact Rock and “the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk”.

— Additional reporting by Reuters