Jimmy Kimmel says Chris Rock 'should be proud' of his reaction to Will Smith slap at Oscars

Popular comedian and talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel says Chris Rock should be “proud” of his reaction to being slapped on-stage by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars.

Kimmel, who will be hosting the star-studded awards show on March 12, said the incident was “still shocking” but hoped that lessons could be learned from it.

Smith resigned from the Academy and was barred from the organisation’s events for a decade following the incident, which came in response to a joke made by Rock about his wife’s haircut.

Smith also made an apology to Rock online, however Rock has never given an official response.

Speaking to People less than two weeks from this year’s Oscars, Kimmel commended Rock for his demeanour onstage in 2022.

“It’s still shocking that that happened,” he said.

“(And) for it to happen at the Oscars magnifies it by about a million times… I think it’s something that everybody regrets and that we will move past.

“One day it will be looked at in the same way as that guy running onstage naked is looked at: a weird moment that we all talked about and we hopefully learn from.”