A number of comedians have come to Chris Rock’s defense after some criticized his jokes about Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett in his stand-up special last weekend.
After staying quiet for a year, Rock finally unleashed on the A-list couple after being slapped by the "Bad Boys" actor while he was presenting at the Oscars in March 2022.
Comedian D.L. Hughley wrote on Instagram after his show, "I’m going to give my brother, his flowers and his respect,"@chrisrock YOU DID THE DAMN THING, MOST IMPORTANTLY… YOU STAYED TRUE TO YOURSELF!! as far as everyone else that seems to have an opinion on whether or not he should’ve mentioned what happened to HIM, you don’t get to decide when, why or how someone else deals with THEIR trauma."
He noted that while Rock stayed silent for a year, the "ENTIRE WORLD" weighed in on the slap and many comedians did bits on it.
"The ONE PERSON YOU NEVER HEARD FROM ABOUT IT WAS CHRIS!!" he wrote. "So NOW, that HE decides to address it on HIS TIME, people have the audacity to say: ‘he’s bitter… Why is he still talking about that… let it go… or the best one WE’VE MOVED ON’. So YOU got to speak on it but he can’t??? Y’all are a straight f*n trip."
"Amen brother," fellow comedian Jeff Ross replied and actor Dondre Whitfield commented, "All those people who say that are hypocrites. Because of the shoe were on the slapped face they’d STILL be talking about. And probably would’ve been seeking compensation as well. All those people need to shut up."
"Saturday Night Live" alum Leslie Jones also came to Rock’s defense, replying to a comment on Hughley’s Instagram.
"Y'all forget he got slapped in front of the world yo! His kids, his mama, peers EVERYONE!" Jones wrote after someone commented, "You got to let stuff go at some point in your life…. This is how young brothers get killed in the streets… talking about something that happened a year ago. Setting a terrible example."
Jones added, "I wonder how y'all muthaf----s would handle that! And he is A COMEDIAN this is his way of expressing it. If he sang he would write a song. Cause it's a painful thing that happen. Y'all act like you would be righteous! YOU ARE HYPOCRITES! Shut the f--- up and go sit down."
Comedian Patton Oswalt wrote on his Twitter, "So happy having @chrisrockin the world, for so many reasons. Maybe one of the best being as a constant high bar to shoot for in terms of writing, thought & performance. Wow. #SelectiveOutrage."
Jim Gaffigan also praised Rock on his Twitter, writing, "Like most comedians I’m continuously grateful for the existence of Chris Rock. Thank you comedy gods."
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Comedian Loni Love disagreed, criticizing Rock for bringing Smith’s wife into his routine.
"I don’t expect my other fellow comics who are not Black Women to understand the complex issues of some of the Chris Rock set.. they have not had to endure the issue of sexism and racism from an industry that doesn’t understand you as a Black Woman. #grace."
Rock didn’t hold back in his Netflix special "Selective Outrage" on Saturday night, saving the last eight minutes of his act to address the Oscar slap.
"Will Smith practices Selective Outrage," Rock said in his show. "Everybody who really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s—t. I didn’t have any entanglements."
He added, "Will Smith, his wife was f------ her son's friend," referring to Pinkett’s admitting in 2020 she had a relationship with August Alsina while she and Smith were on a break.
"Everybody in the world called him a b----," Rock said. "I tried to call the motherf----- and give him my condolences; he ain’t pick up for me. Everybody called that man a b----, f------ Charlamagne [tha God] called him a b----, ‘The Breakfast Club’ called him a b----- and ‘The View’ and ‘The Talk,’ and every rapper, they called him a b----, his wife a predator, everybody called him a b----. Everybody! Everybody! And who does he hit? Me!"
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Rock also accused Pinkett of pressuring him to not host the Oscars in 2016 because Smith wasn’t nominated.
"So did I do some jokes about it, who gives a f---?" he said. "That's how it is. She starts it, I finish it. That's what the f--- happened. Nobody's picking on this b----. She started this s---."
Fox News' Ashley Hume contributed to this report.
