Netflix's First Live Streaming Event is Dated

Netflix has announced the premiere date of its first live streaming event featuring Chris Rock. Netflix has announced the premiere date of a new special comedy that will utilize its long-awaited live streaming technology. The platform's first live global event, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage will premiere on Saturday, March 4 at 10 p.m. on the platform.

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The Second Netflix Special After Tambourine

Robbie Praw, Netflix's Vice President of Stand-Up and Comedy Formats, said in a press release;

Announced earlier this year, the comedy special will stream live from Baltimore, Maryland. Selective Outrage will be Rock's (Top Five) second Netflix special after 2018's Tambourine and his first televised special since his infamous run-in with Will Smith (Bad Boys 4 Life, Emancipation) at this year's Academy Awards. Smith, now widely known as "Slap," physically attacked Rock after a joke he made during the annual ceremony in reference to Will's wife, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith. Rock has not addressed the issue on the set of his show, despite being on the Ego Death tour for months since the incident.

"I have a whole show, and I'm not going to talk about it until I get paid." Rock told his California audience during a comedy set at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in April, via The New York Post. In addition to his solo tour dates, Rock took part in the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival this past spring. The unique festival featured some 330 comedians and sold more than 260,000 tickets. The festival featured Netflix's other leading comedy magnet Dave Chappelle (The Closer, Chappelle's Show), who was the victim of an attempted assault during the festival last spring.

Both incidents sparked a conversation about how it is no longer safe for comedians to joke without various fears, including physical retaliation from unamused participants. Chappelle became a proponent of this stance following the controversial Sticks & Stones Netflix special comedy. Chappelle also garnered more backlash for his jokes about the transgender community, which faced protests from some Netflix employees.