The act of violence against Chris Rock at the Academy Awards this Sunday (March 27) is set to have the famed comedian crying all the way to the bank.

Details inside:

As is currently dominating headlines across the globe, Will Smith – moments before collecting the first Academy Award of his career – slapped Rock for making an insensitive comment about the hair of Jada Pinkett-Smith.

The event ignited a firestorm of controversy, one that’s not only seen Smith criticized for the attack but could also see his OSCAR repossessed.

While the Academy mulls over the appropriate course of disciplinary action against the ‘King Richard’ star (who later apologized for the incident, Chris is gearing up for a highly anticipated stand-up comedy tour – the ‘Ego Death World Tour.’  Set to perform six shows at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre from March 30 through April 1, the ‘Ego Death World Tour’ will officially kick off on April 2 and travel to over 30 cities across North America before wrapping up at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre on November 17 (the home of the Academy Awards).

According to sources, ticket sales for ‘Ego Death’ skyrocketed as headlines rang out about the slap.  In fact, one secondary ticketing marketplace, TickPick, reports they have sold more tickets to the show overnight than they did in the past month combined.  As a result, prices have surged – going up from a minimum of $46 per ticket on March 18 to a whopping minimum of $341 (an eight-time increase).

His first standup tour in 5 years, the ‘Ego’ trek is not to be confused with the ‘Only Headliners Allowed’ jaunt – a limited East Coast engagement with Kevin Hart.

[photo sources:  Twitter/Getty Images/Live Nation]

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