Chris Rock has revealed the one condition that could see him return to the Oscars, more than four years after Will Smith slapped him onstage during the 2022 Academy Awards.

The comedian, 61, addressed the possibility of returning to Hollywood's biggest awards ceremony while speaking to Variety about his upcoming film Misty Green, which he wrote, directed and stars in.

Rock has not returned to the Oscars since the infamous incident, and he suggested that his days of hosting the ceremony may be behind him. He has hosted the Academy Awards twice, in 2005 and 2016.

“When people answer those questions, they're being disrespectful to the people that got the gig,” Rock said when asked about potentially hosting the Oscars again. He praised recent hosts Conan O'Brien and Nikki Glaser before adding that his “time might have passed”.

Asked whether he would consider returning if Misty Green earned him an Oscar nomination, he joked that he was not expecting that to happen. “The only way I’ll go back is if I’m nominated, and I’m not getting nominated,” Rock said. “And that’s okay. We’ll deal with that if it happens.”

Misty Green is scheduled to be released in cinemas on October 9, 2026, following screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival.