Netflix Reveals Plans For Chris Rock's History Making 2023 Comedy Special

Chris Rock is returning to the spotlight with his upcoming Netflix special.

The first-of-its-kind show will see the comedian debuting his second Netflix stand-up event with the title "Chris Rock: Selective Outrage." The show, scheduled to launch on March 4, 2023, will make Rock the first artist to perform live on the streaming service, and it is set to air globally. 

Over the Christmas weekend, Netflix dropped a trailer, giving expectant fans a sneak peek at what to expect from the Rock special with a short clip. The video began by showing the 57-year-old staring straight at the camera while sitting in a dressing room.

His serenity was soon interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by somebody at the other end, informing him, "Chris, they're ready for you." The multi-hyphenate then jumped into action, walking through the backstage area with a timer counting down in the background.

Rock eventually arrived on stage, where he was met with a screaming audience and bright lights. Set to the soundtrack of Bun B's "The Best Is Back," the clip closed off with the details of when and where the special will be aired.

The trailer, shared by Netflix, elicited a conversation in the comments, with one person excitedly noting, "here we go!" Other comments were not as friendly as a second observer added, "Netflix is gonna be such a L in 2023, boutta lose everyone." 

"Boooooohhhh insulting other people to make other people laugh ????" a third person questioned. A fourth Instagram user commented, "Oooo yall already know who he's finna talk about in this," and a fifth claimed, "Man trying to act tough after being slapped."

"Closed captioning provided by: Will Smith," a sixth person joked, and a seventh reiterated, "This special is going to slap...no pun intended." "Finally, the Roast of the Fresh Prince!! I always like them freshly roasted," yet another person joked.

This would not be the first time fans would react in such a manner. Last month, The Blast reported that the filmmaker had been the brunt of the joke when news of the Netflix special broke. Even though details of the show were sketchy at the time, people were quick to fill the comment section of the announcement post, with most of them poking fun at Rock.

While one person jokingly played on Smith's first name, writing, "WILL he pull it off?" another advised, "Just don't let Will near him that's all I'm saying." A fifth person explained:

"I'm telling y'all, Chris getting slapped by Will at the Oscars was the BEST thing that could've happened to him lol he became instantly relevant again and now look, his own live show streaming on Netflix. Wild."

The "Everybody Hates Chris" creator previously worked with Netflix in 2018 for his stand-up special, "Chris Rock: Tamborine." The show was immensely successful — a factor that probably influenced the streaming platform's decision to work with him a second time.

In August, Rock told the audience at his Phoenix stand-up set that he rejected the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' offer to host next year's Oscars ceremony. The Blast shared that the four-time Primetime Emmy Awards winner joked that climbing back on the Oscars stage soon after his fiasco with Smith was similar to returning to the crime scene.

He even used the publicized OJ Simpson murder trial as a reference, claiming that accepting the offer would be like asking the former footballer's wife, Nicole Simpson, to "go back to the restaurant."

You would recall that drama had unfolded at the Oscars earlier this year when the "Emancipation" actor slapped Rock after the latter took a playful swipe at Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia.

Despite the severity of the episode, the "Death at a Funeral" star has avoided speaking about it publicly until his Phoenix show. Rock also claimed that he had refused an offer to appear in a Super Bowl ad during the event. 

Additionally, an ABC executive — Craig Erwich — confirmed to news outlets that the network was interested in having Rock host the Oscars for a second time. The comedian has already hosted the ceremony twice, once in 2005 and again in 2016.