Chris Rock will make history as the first artist to perform live on Netflix. Today, Netflix announced that the legendary comedian, director, writer, and actor will be the first-ever artist to perform live on Netflix for the company’s first-ever live event. The comedy special is set to stream globally in early 2023, and additional details will be announced at a later date. Robbie Praw, Netflix Vice President of Stand-up and Comedy Formats, announced the upcoming special in a public statement:
“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 honored that Chris is carrying this torch.”
The live event will be Chris Rock’s second Netflix stand-up special. His first, called Chris Rock: Tamborine, debuted in February 2018 to much acclaim. Directed by Bo Burnham, the comedy special was a hit, and received a rare 100% RottenTomatoes. It was also hinted that Rock might address his infamous slap incident with Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars, which Smith has since apologized for. Rock is currently busy with his Ego Death tour, but promised he would talk more about his Oscars experience on Netflix, telling Deadline “People expect me to talk about the bullshit, I’m not going to talk about it right now, I’ll get to it eventually, on Netflix.” It remains to be seen whether Rock will discuss the incident and its aftermath on this special, or another special in the future. Rock is aware that people are waiting to see what he has to say about the slap, yet has largely avoided discussing it in public. He also recently turned down an offer to host the 2023 Oscars, graphically comparing the request as the equivalent to asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant,” where she left a pair of glasses the night she was murdered.
Chris Rock’s upcoming live comedy special comes after Netflix revealed that they are experimenting with live technology, and testing to see if live performances are something that viewers would be interested in. Netflix is a leader in comedy, and although the streamer has hosted successful live in-person events, the streamer has no history with live-streaming on the platform. Netflix is a Joke: The Festival, was the biggest live, in-person event in Netflix history. The event took place in Spring 2022, and featured more than 330 comedians performing 295 shows across Los Angeles. More than 260,000 tickets were sold, and the event earned over $5.95 million.
Rock’s new special does not have a title yet, but is set to stream in early 2023. Stay tuned for more information.