As P. T. Barnum correctly observed, "there is no such thing as bad publicity," so aww, admit it: you knew this reward would alight on Chris Rock.  And maybe Will Smith.

After burping an unpleasant "joke" about actress Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia-induced shaved head to the world at last Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, followed by an equally public...er...punishment by her aggrieved husband, Will Smith... 

Chris Rock comedy tour ticket prices spike after Will Smith Oscar slap

Rock's Ego Death World Tour will include stops at more than 30 cities in North America

Tickets for Rock's next comedy show at Boston's Wilbur Theatre on Wednesday are being sold for a minimum of $441, according to Ticket Club. ...

Meanwhile, TickPick, a secondary ticketing marketplace, said Monday morning it had sold more tickets overnight to see Chris Rock than in the past month combined. 

Latching on to the opportunity for some free publicity, fellow comedian Adam Sandler 

took to Twitter early Tuesday to share a promotional photo of the tour. ... "Can't wait for this. Love you buddy!" Sandler's tweet reads.

Rock's composure following this ugly incident was commendable; Smith's actions were punishable, albeit to date unpunished.

Indeed, the opposite.  A short time after slapping Rock, Smith received the coveted Best Actor award, which he accepted with a blubbering, self-pitying reply to a standing ovation followed by triumphant partying at post-Awards celebrations.  A day later, undoubtedly forced by his publicists and others, Smith bleated out a series of (insincere) apologies, finally including one to Rock.

While not accusing any of them of staging the altercation, is there any doubt these unseemly incidents will help both Rock's and Smith's careers?

Maybe Rock will make a public donation of the profit from the increased ticket prices to his shows to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, which publicly stated: 

Simply put - Alopecia areata is no joke.

Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune skin disease that causes hair loss on the scalp, face and sometimes on other areas of the body. The disease affects nearly seven million people in the United States and 147 million people worldwide. It can be unpredictable and cause significant physical, emotional/mental health, psycho-social, and financial burdens — and there is no cure, effective treatment or standard of care. Alopecia areata does not discriminate and can affect anyone at any age and may be a temporary or life-long condition. Many people living with the condition are suffering, and we must do better to support this community and erase the stigma, discrimination, and societal barriers that persist.

The National Alopecia Areata Foundation, or NAAF, is the leading organization dedicated to supporting people and families affected by alopecia areata and educating the public at large about this autoimmune condition. We stand with the alopecia areata community and are here to support those in need, especially in the wake of emotional moments such as the one we all witnessed last night at the Academy Awards. We encourage both our community and the broader public to learn more about alopecia areata so we can end the stigma around this disease.

Maybe Smith will be publicly rehabilitated through a series of public service announcements on anger management and other mental health issues and voilà! — be exonerated?  Is another show business award, a Saturday Night Live skit, making light of the slap and demeaning joke, already written?

As of yet, no definitive answers, but let's wait and see.  After all, Barnum advised: "I don't care what the newspapers say about me as long as they spell my name right."

Image: Andy Witchger via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.