‘The View’ Hosts Gush Over Chris Rock’s Brutal Response to Will Smith: ‘He Nailed It’

Chris Rock earned near-universal praise Monday on The View for his new Netflix comedy special Selective Outrage in which he responded to the infamous Will Smith Oscars slap.

Smith took to the Oscars stage last year to physically assault Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith later went on to win Best Actor. In Rock’s comedy special, he blasted Smith and joked he watched his most recent movie — the slavery-era historical drama Emancipation — just to see the actor get hit.

“I thought Chris Rock nailed it. I thought he came back swinging — no pun intended — but I did think it was smart that he waited a year,” Alyssa Farah Griffin said.

Sara Haines praised Rock for his explanation as to why he didn’t get into an all-out physical brawl with Smith, citing his parents when explaining his hesitation to hit the actor back.

“It’s such a powerful line of I’ve got parents and you know how you always think of I’ve got parents and I’ve got kids. I’m a reflection of the ones that raised me and I’m an example for the ones I’m raising. That is a really powerful moment,” Haines said.

The most criticism Rock received was over venturing into what Ana Navarro deemed “sacred” territory with his Emancipation joke.

“That line about Emancipation. For me, there are certain things that are sacred that you don’t joke about. You don’t joke about Emmett Till. You don’t joke about Peter the slave,” she said.

Sunny Hostin also took issue with jokes involving abortion, but both co-hosts still praised the Netflix special.

Fellow comedian Whoopi Goldberg said she only caught part of the special, but she praised Rock for being able to bounce back.

“He doesn’t pull punches. He says what he thinks and he takes the consequences,” she said.

Watch above via ABC.