In March, Chris Rock got on stage at the Oscars, went off script and cracked a “GI Jane joke” about Jada Pinkett Smith, a woman who has been open about her alopecia. Jada’s husband Will Smith, who was a sure thing to win the Best Actor Oscar that night, walked on stage and slapped Rock. Will went back to his seat and then yelled up at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth.” In the days, weeks and months to follow, Will has repeatedly apologized to Rock and the Academy, he’s been banned from the Oscars and he lost his Academy membership. White folks rallied to Rock’s defense and made the slap sound like the most traumatizing event they’d ever witnessed in their lives. It was asinine, frankly. Unfortunately, this entire mess has convinced Chris Rock that he has a pass to compare himself to Nicole Brown Simpson, the victim of domestic violence who was murdered by OJ Simpson.
Five months after Will Smith slapped him onstage at the Academy Awards, stunning millions watching around the world, Chris Rock delivered another sort of slap back at the Oscars.
Riffing with the crowd at a stand-up show in Phoenix Sunday night, the comedian said that he was asked to host next year’s Oscars, according to the Arizona Republic. But he turned the offer down, joking that returning to Hollywood’s biggest night would be like returning to a crime scene.
Referencing the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, Rock told the crowd at Arizona Financial Theatre that going back to the awards ceremony would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant” where she left her eyeglasses before being killed.
Rock also said he turned down a post-slap Super Bowl commercial offer.
[From The LA Times]
First of all, Chris Rock needs some updated cultural references. This whole mess started with a GI Jane joke and ends with a riff comparing himself to Nicole Brown Simpson. Yes, the 1990s were amazing, but dude, a lot of stuff has happened since then. As for the comparison… Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered. Chris Rock was slapped. He’s making light of domestic violence and comparing (in a way) Will Smith to OJ Simpson, and this is after comparing Will to Suge Knight (who has also allegedly killed people). What a complete mess.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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