Chris Rock’s latest Netflix special takes aim at some of the biggest names in Hollywood and society as a whole. From Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s public entanglements to Meghan Markle’s “victimhood,” the seasoned comedian doesn’t hold back in his trademark style of unapologetic humor. Here’s everything he said about the Smiths, the Oscars slap heard around the world, “selective outrage,” and more…
There was a feeling of nostalgia that came over the Internet as millions turned to Netflix to watch comedian Chris Rock perform his “Selective Outrage” comedy special live at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. And it’s not lost on us that he chose to address the infamous Oscars slap in the hometown of Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
”Selective Outrage,” has garnered a lot of attention for its brutal takedown of Hollywood and society’s tendency towards selective outrage. In the special, Chris addressed a variety of touchy topics, including performative wokeness, Meghan Markle, and the infamous 2022 Oscars, at which Will Smith slapped him onstage.
The “Good Hair” star, who is known for his unapologetic humor, tore into performative wokeness by poking fun at corporate brands taking empty stances on major issues to score wokeness points. He even mentioned seeing a sign at the athleisure clothing store Lululemon decrying racism and hatred, to which he responded, “Who gives a f*ck? You’re just selling yoga pants!”
But it was his commentary on Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, that really got people talking. Chris criticized the former royal’s never-ending outrage over the British royals’ alleged racist tendencies, saying, “It’s the royal family! You didn’t Google these motherf*ckers? What the f*ck is she talking about ‘She didn’t know’? They’re the OGs of racism!”
Watch the clip below:
Chris Rock unloads on Meghan Markle and the Royal Family at his live Netflix show:
Meghan Markle playing the victim
Royal family are the original racists
The colour of her and Harry’s baby#ChrisRockLive pic.twitter.com/7rBqzpIZY7— Jamie Johnson (@JamieoJohnson) March 5, 2023
He also dismissed allegations about a particular member of the royal family inquiring about what Markle’s first baby, Archie, would look like, insisting that “even black people wanna know how brown the baby is gonna be!”
The 58-year-old comedian’s most vicious material, however, was targeted at society’s tendency towards selective outrage. He criticized cancel culture and the tendency to pick and choose whom to cancel for committing roughly the same acts.
”I have no problem with the wokeness. I have no problem with it at all. I’m all for social justice. I’m all for marginalized people getting their rights. The thing I have a problem with is the selective outrage,” Chris said. “You know what i’m talking about. One person does something, they get canceled. Another person does the exact same thing, nothing,” he said. He even compared Michael Jackson and R. Kelly, saying that he’s “enraged by the kind of people who play Michael Jackson songs but won’t play R. Kelly. Same crime – one of ’em’s just got better songs.”
Once Chris shifts his attention to his family, the pace notably accelerates. He begins by discussing his stance on being pro-choice and emphasizes the importance of his daughters’ autonomy over their bodies. Then, the jokes took a turn.
“I am pro-choice. I believe women should have the right to kill babies. That’s right. I’m on your side. I believe you should have the right to kill as many babies as you want. Kill them all I don’t give a f*ck. But let’s not get it twisted, it is killing a baby. Whenever I pay for an abortion, I request a dead baby.”
Watch the clip below:
Chris Rock has an interesting opinion about abortion. SMH #ChrisRockLive #chrisrocknetflix #chrisrock pic.twitter.com/LVjKrPSC4G
— GoreJust Goth (@gorejustgoth) March 5, 2023
But what everyone was really waiting for was his commentary on the 2022 Oscars at which Will Smith slapped him onstage for joking about his wife’s bald head. He saved his reaction for the last 10 minutes of the show and he went IN.
Chris didn’t hold back, calling out Will’s marital problems that were well-reported in the lead-up to the Oscars.
“Everybody knows I had nothing to do with that sh*t,” he said, implying that Will’s resentment towards him was due to Jada’s highly publicized affair with her son’s rapper friend, August Alsina.
During his performance, the comedian poked fun at Will for his appearance on Jada’s Facebook Watch show “Red Table Talk,” where they talked about her affair.
“You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by Suge Smith. Everybody knows. Everybody (expletive) knows,” Chris said. “I got smacked like a year ago … and people are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears.”
“For people that don’t know — everybody knows! — his wife was f*cking her son’s friend, OK?,” he said. “Now, I normally would not talk about this sh*t, but for some reason these [N-word] put that sh*t on the internet! I had no idea why two talented people would do something that f*cking low-down!”
He continued, “Everybody called that man a b*tch,” he said, “And who’d he hit? Me! A [N-word] he knows he could beat. That is some b*tch-a** sh*t.”
Rock claims Jada said he should quit hosting the Oscars because Will didn’t get nominated for Concussion: “Nobody is picking on her. She said me, should quit his job cause her husband didn’t get nominated for ‘Concussion’…then he gives me a fucking concussion” #ChrisRockLive pic.twitter.com/lgo6FsVXKD
— Eric Diep (@E_Diep) March 5, 2023
According to Chris, the source of Jada’s hostility towards him dates back a few years when she urged him to join the boycott of the Oscars due to her husband being snubbed for his role in the 2015 film Concussion.
“She said… a grown a** man should quit his job because her husband didn’t get nominated for ‘Concussion.’ Then (Will) gives me a concussion,” he quipped. “What the f*ck? So did I do some jokes about it? Who gives a f*ck? That’s how it is; she starts it, I finish it. Nobody was picking on this b*tch!”
Peep the clip above.
Chris expressed his former admiration for Will, both as a rapper and actor, but admitted to now rooting for the slave master who beats Will’s character, “Whipped Peter,” in his latest movie, Emancipation.
“He’d made some great movies. I’ve rooted for Will Smith my whole life,” but now, he said, he was rooting for the slave master who beats Smith’s character in Emancipation.
”Okay, and now I watch Emancipation just to see him get whopped. Got me rootin for massa, okay? Now hit him again, massa. Hit him again. You missed a spot massa, you missed a spot!”
While Chris acknowledged the physical pain from the slap, he refused to play the victim in our culture of perpetual victimhood. “You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. You will never see it. Never gonna happen. ‘I couldn’t believe it! And I loved ‘Men in Black’!’ No! F*ck that sh*t. I took that hit like Pacquiao!”
At the end…
CHRIS ROCK on Will Smith slap: “I didn’t fight back because I have parents….and they taught me not to fight in front of white people.” #ChrisRock #netflix #selectiveoutrage pic.twitter.com/RTvzfgXwoN
— The Still Hummingbird (@StoryBirdScript) March 5, 2023
“A lot of people go, ‘Chris, how come you didn’t do nothing back’ How come you didn’t go back that night?’ Because I got parents. That’s why,” he declared. “I got parents, and you know what my parents taught me: Don’t fight in front of white people,” he said before dropping the mic and receiving a standing ovation.
Folks weren’t feeling that statement and they didn’t like how he came for Black women throughout his set:
The most Chris Rock thing about all of this is him screaming that you don’t fight in front of white people but not even considering what it means to make jokes about a BW and her hair in front of white people
— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) March 5, 2023
From Meghan Markle at the beginning to Jada Pinkett Smith at the end, and everyone in between, there was a lot of animosity directed toward Black women in #ChrisRock‘s special. I know I shouldn’t be surprised. But it definitely felt like the misogynoir was cranked all the way up.
— Lisa Bee (@leebee4life) March 5, 2023
After the show…
The live comedy special was followed by a special event called “The Show After The Show,” hosted by David Spade and Dana Carvey. They were joined by notable guests including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, JB Smoove, Arsenio Hall, and Yvonne Orji, all of whom were present at The Comedy Store for the conclusion of this extraordinary night.
What are your thoughts on Chris Rock’s comedy special?
By the way, the 95th Academy Awards will be held next week on Sunday, March 12th.
Photos: Kirill Bichutsky /Adam Rose / Courtesy of Netflix