BALTIMORE, MD — Comedian Chris Rock will play two shows in Baltimore next month, but after being slapped by actor Will Smith at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, tickets for the event are in high demand.
Rock is scheduled for shows at the Lyric Theater on April 22 and 23. Tickets for the shows on the secondhand market are currently ranging from $274 for balcony seats to more than $445 in the orchestra area with very few left, according to Ticketmaster.
Rock, who hosted the Academy Awards, was slapped by Smith in a moment that immediately went viral after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Will Smith also won the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the film “King Richard.”
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Smith has apologized to Rock, who has elected not to press charges following the incident in which Smith’s behavior was widely criticized. Rock has not yet commented on the confrontation.
Online ticket brokers said in social media posts that ticket interest surged overnight Sunday into Monday.
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Online ticket broker TickPick posted in a tweet that ticket sales for Rock’s Chicago shows were higher after the slap and into Monday than in the previous month combined.
Rock’s Ego Death tour begins this month in Boston and runs through November.
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