Chris Rock Calls Jimmy Fallon's Blackface Moment "Bad Comedy" & Insists He Isn't Racist

BYErika Marie2.2K Views
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Chris Rock
Fallon recently caught heat after a sketch from 20 years ago showing him wearing blackface to impersonate Rock went viral.

Later on this month, Chris Rock will make an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where he will reunite with his comedian friend. The two have known each other for some time and are both Saturday Night Live alums, so after Fallon caught heat for wearing blackface to impersonate Rock back in 2000, the public dragged the late-night talk show host through the mud. Jimmy Fallon faced accusations of all kinds during his scandal, but Chris Rock has addressed the controversy and said it isn't as big of a deal as people tried to make it.

“Hey, man, I’m friends with Jimmy. Jimmy’s a great guy,” Rock told the New York Times. “And he didn’t mean anything. A lot of people want to say intention doesn’t matter, but it does. And I don’t think Jimmy Fallon intended to hurt me. And he didn’t.” Rock also spoke about Fallon in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter and added that he didn't even see the sketch when it first aired 20 years ago and chalked the whole incident up to being "bad comedy." 

People accused Jimmy Fallon of being a racist, but Rock insists that his friend "doesn’t have a racist bone in his body." It seems that everyone has moved on from the viral moment, but Rock wanted to defend Fallon's character.

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About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.
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