The first artist to perform live on Netflix will be Chris Rock, who will create history.
The renowned actor, comedian, filmmaker, and writer will be the first performer to ever take the stage at a Netflix live event, the streaming service said today. Additional information will be revealed later. The comedy special is scheduled to stream globally in early 2023.
The upcoming special was announced in a public statement by Robbie Praw, Vice President of Stand-up and Comedy Formats at Netflix:
“Chris Rock is one of the most iconic and important comedic voices of our generation“We’re thrilled the entire world will be able to experience a live Chris Rock comedy event and be part of Netflix history. This will be an unforgettable moment and we’re so honoured that Chris is carrying this torch.”
Chris Rock’s second stand-up Netflix special will be a live performance. He made his debut in February 2018 with Chris Rock: Tamborine, which received positive reviews. The comedy special, which Bo Burnham directed, was well-received and earned a coveted 100% RottenTomatoes rating. Additionally, it was suggested that Rock might speak about the infamous slap fight he had with Will Smith—for which Smith has since issued an apology—at the 2022 Oscars.
Rock told Deadline that although he is currently engaged with his Ego Death tour, he would discuss his Oscars experience in greater detail on Netflix. People expect me to discuss the nonsense, but I won’t do so at this time. I’ll discuss it later, on Netflix. It is unknown if Rock will talk about the incident and its consequences in this special or a future special. Rock has largely refrained from talking about the slap in public despite being aware that people are waiting to hear what he has to say about it. Additionally, he recently declined a request to host the Oscars in 2023, comparing the request to telling Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant” in a graphic manner.