The Oscars slap jokes from Chris Rock never stop.
On stage at the Kennedy Center at the Mark Twain Award for American Comedy, which this year honours Adam Sandler, Rock remarked that Paul Pelosi was the only person who understood how he felt.
Rock said, “Just me and you, Paul.” He was speaking to Nancy Pelosi’s husband, who had been hurt in an incident at their house a few months before to Will Smith slapping Rock onstage at the Oscars.
Rock announced to the crowd that he will be delivering a few jokes from his most recent Netflix special, “Selective Outrage.” He was one of several comics, performers, and moviemakers who physically and figuratively sung Sandler’s praises, as in the cases of Dana Carvey and Rob Schneider. Rock’s complete statements will be broadcast nationally on CNN on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, along with those of Sandler and a number of other celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Steve Buscemi, Luis Guzmán, Conan O’Brien, and David Spade.
The consensus among the speakers was that Sandler’s comedy isn’t sophisticated, but it doesn’t make him unworthy of receiving such a distinction. They praised his capacity to put in a lot of effort, make others laugh, and genuinely care about those in his life.
Drew Barrymore told reporters, “You’re not getting a new person on a different day. “He is unquestionably Adam. He has been friends, coworkers, and colleagues with the same folks for around 40 years. That reveals a lot about a person to establish long-lasting friendships.”
For the entire evening, Sandler stood, gave enthusiastic applause, and shouted as his longtime friends and coworkers spoke about him in a mix of jabs and sincere tributes.
Sandler said, “I think the reason (bad movie reviews) didn’t hurt me is because so many in this room have made me feel good about what we did together.” He continued, “Make me feel like the critics didn’t know what the hell they were talking about,” referring to all the significant people in his life.
There is “no such thing as too far” in comedy, said “SNL” alum Carvey, who also participated in Rock’s Netflix special, telling reporters on the red carpet.
You would be permitted to feel offended if watching it was required by law, but if someone happened to be watching it, they could turn it off, Carvey stated. “But, that was pure, unadulterated Chris Rock genius. He was precise throughout, which is a really difficult thing to do.”