He certainly didn't hold back during his latest comedy special, and Chris Rock is feeling the heat. Nearly one year after being slapped on the Oscars stage, Rock reveals Selective Outrage, where he had Will Smith in his crosshairs. Smith was widely vilified for assaulting Rock on an international platform, but he has repeatedly shared his remorse over his actions. Smith has released statements, apologies, and even sat down with Red Table Talk to discuss mental health and healing.
However, that didn't move Rock, and he targeted Smith in his special. He talked about Jada Pinkett Smith's "entanglement" with August Alsina, referred to Will as "Suge Smith," and went in about being assaulted in front of a crowd of white people. It earned both praise and pushback. Several of Rock's famous friends have come to his defense.
Leslie Jones Stands for Comedy, Kimmel Is Proud Of Rock
Leslie Jones reacted by responding to an Instagram comment. The social media user suggested that it was time for Rock to move forward. "Y’all forget he got slapped in front of the world yo! His kids, his mama, peers EVERYONE!" wrote Jones. "I wonder how y’all muthaf**kas 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.” She went on to call people "hypocrites" and told them to "shut the f*ck up."
Jimmy Kimmel also spoke with PEOPLE and said he hopes that Rock and Smith will move past this. He admitted that he hadn't spoken with Smith, but he communicated with Rock. “I mean, to be slapped in the face and to stay that cool is something that Chris should be proud of,” Kimmel said. “Chris’ grandchildren, I hope, will still be proud of that when he’s dead and gone.”
D.L. Hughley Thinks Chris Rock Deserves To Speak His Truth
Rock has another ally in D.L. Hughley, who went after people who didn't think the scandal needed to be rehashed. "That happened to HIM, to CHRIS… and the ENTIRE WORLD got to weigh in and talk trash and make jokes and ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda’ the whole damn thing to death," said Hughley. "OTHER COMEDIANS have bits about it, it was an opener for most of us. The ONE PERSON YOU NEVER HEARD FROM ABOUT IT WAS CHRIS!!
“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. Congratulations @chrisrock YOU DID THE DAMN THANG!! #TeamDL.”