Terry Crews and D.L. Hughley engaged in a virtual disagreement about how sexual assault should be handled by men, specifically those of a brawny build. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star addressed the comments Hughley made about him during an interview he gave in August 2018. Hughley had suggested that physical violence should have been used to fend off the unwarranted sexual contact Crews' claimed to have experienced at the hands of a prominent film executive the previous year. Earlier today, Crews asked the comedian to further his thoughts on the subject.
“You told the world ‘God Gave Me Muscles So I Could Say No,'” Crews tweeted. “Are you implying I ‘wanted’ to be sexually assaulted? I’m listening, sir.” Hughley responded by referring Crews back to the interview by saying, “You saw the video!” to which Crews responded, “Sir you said I should have pushed him back, or restrained him and I DID ALL THOSE THINGS… but you act like I didn’t. Were you there?”
Hughley doubled down on his claim that proposed a violent rebuttal in the incident. “That’s different than slapping the s–t outa him,” he offered. This led to Crews asking, “So sir… If you truly feel that is a correct way to deal with toxic behavior… Should I slap the s–t out of you?”
“I have looked up to you my whole career as one of the funniest most talented people I’ve ever seen. I remember when I saw you warming up the crowd at FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR and I thought ‘this man is a genius.’ But now you are an example of when comedy turns to sarcasm and cynicism," Crews continued. "And you find it extremely easy to get jokes at someone else expense. You mock my success, but all I ever did was support you.”
He added other players to his critique: “You @50cent @unclerush and @tariqnasheed have decided my sexual assault was hilarious, whereas there are a whole generation of black women and men who don’t think it’s funny. ABUSERS PROTECT ABUSERS but they MOCK SURVIVORS as well. When you see me, keep it moving.”
When Terry shared his #MeToo moment with the public, he did not receive a lot of support. According to the actor, Black men were particularly critical of him during this time.