Chris Rock has reportedly turned down an offer from next year's Oscars organizers. During a standup show Sunday night in Phoenix, Arizona, the comedian said organizers had asked him to return as host (he previously participated in 2005 and 2016).
Earlier this year Rock was punched on stage by Will Smith after he made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
During his show, Rock reportedly compared accepting the offer to host to returning to a crime scene. According to sources, an audience member yelled "Talk about it!" Rock then referenced Smith's performance as boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 biopic Ali, for which Smith earned his first Oscar nomination.
"He's bigger than me," Rock said. "The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declined to comment on Rock's comments. In April, the Academy board suspended Will Smith from the Oscars or any Academy event for 10 years.
