Tony Rock has trashed Will Smith’s new album while also claiming he’s using the incident which occured with his brother at the Academy Awards years ago to boost the LP’s commercial performance.
In a fiery new interview with TMZ, the actor and comedian didn’t hold back when asked about Smith’s surprise return to music after a 20-year hiatus. Smith’s latest project, Based On A True Story , has been making headlines for its deeply personal lyrics—particularly the ones referencing his infamous Oscars slap on Tony’s brother, Chris Rock, in 2022. But Tony isn’t buying the introspective act.
“It’s a good time to be a comic right now,” Tony Rock quipped while speaking with paparazzi at the Los Angeles International Airport on the arrivals level. “Will Smith has an album out and it’s a p############. And he addresses the Oscars. It’s a good time to be a comic right now.”
Rock expounded on his statement, revealing he took particular issue with Smith revisiting the incident in his music after months of media urging everyone to move on.
“Everybody keeps telling me to stop talking about it, but then he puts it on the song,” he said. “So that gives me the way to talk about it again.”
Despite the media hype, Tony made it clear he hasn’t even bothered to give the album a spin.
“Album’s trash, I haven’t listened to it, but I refuse to listen to it,” he said. “The fact that he brought it up on the album? Well, that’s like trying to sell an album.”
Tony didn’t mince words when questioning Smith’s motives, suggesting the lyrical movie star was reaching for drama to move units.
“I’m surprised he wasn’t rapping about being a drug dealer on this one,” he said. “Jail and got shot nine times. He’s trying to sell an album.”
Still, Tony made a point to say he’s a lifelong Hip-Hop fan and even gave credit where it was due.
“His best work was… ‘Brand New Funk’, I’ll give him that,” he said.
Addressing the common perception that he’s simply defending his brother, Tony said it’s not about loyalty—it’s about facts.
“I know people think I’m just protecting my brother,” he said. “I’m my brother’s keeper, that’s all. You can talk about things and it doesn’t have to involve emotion.”
As for whether the album helps or hurts the rocky relationship between Smith and Chris, Tony was blunt.
“It is what it is,” he said. “They ain’t gonna be friends. Nobody lost a significant amount of money behind this. My brother might have actually made a little more money. That Netflix special? Yeah. Ain’t nobody hurting. All of us are walking in the bank on Monday with smiles on our faces.”
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