Chris Rock showed why he never slaps a comedian
The jokes of Chris Rock, who was angry at the Oscars, or why he didn’t slap Smith in front of the world
Chris Rock was popular on the social networking site, and it was because of the special. The comedian was angry at Smith for hitting him in front of the world. The three-time Grammy-winning comedian opened his hourlong set by teasing that he would discuss the incident, joking, “People always say, ‘Words hurt.’ … Anybody who says, ‘Words hurt,’ has never been punched in the face.” He then riffed on a number of different topics, including addiction, abortion, racism and “wokeness.”
There were a lot of jokes as Rock finally explained his story and accused Smith of using “selective outrage” to get mad at him instead of his wife.
One joke he messed up was when he said Jada wanted him to quit hosting the Oscar’s in 2016 because Will didn’t get nominated foremangue, a movie which was actually Concussion.
But he could have added that he didn’t need to fight Smith. What Rock did in his comedy special had to be much more painful for Smith — and far more cathartic for Rock — than if he slapped the actor at the Oscars.
Rock claimed that he wasn’t a victim even though he was slapped on international television by a larger man, but also insisted that too many people seek attention due to unfairly claiming.
He may not have been crying but Rock was angry and upset as if it had just happened last week. Rock was incredulous that people were asking if it hurt. “It hurts, it still hurts.”
And for this comedy fan, who still remembers when Rock’s groundbreaking standup specials for HBO redefined his career and the world of comedy in the same moment, Saturday night’s special was sad proof of the distance between a brash young comic trying to make his mark and a seasoned pro who knows how to work the room, even when he might not have as much to say.
Some jokes feel odd, like complaining about people who dance to songs by Michael Jackson but don’t play songs by R. Kelly, who was convicted of sex crimes in a court of law.
The parts of the special that seemed to modify stereotypicalLY liberal attitudes were part of the special. And jokes about how a “woke trap” works; if “somebody wants your job, they just wait for you to say some dumb s—.”
Women should be able to kill a baby until he’s four years old. On dating younger women when he was divorced, he said “I didn’t get rich and stay in shape to talk toAnita Baker.” I’m trying to f— Doja Cat.” Beyonce could marry Jay-Z even if she worked at Burger King. Jay-Z would have to work at Burger King.
The Morning with Dean Obeidallah: A Comedy Legend’s View of the January 6, 2006, Loss of the Fourth Amendment and the New Year’s Resolution
Rock stalked the stage with energy and the practiced cool of a longtime standup comedy legend – even while admitting he’d gotten his own daughter kicked out of a tony high school to teach her a lesson, claiming that she, his ex-wife and their lawyer were likely finding out he asked the school to expel her by watching the Netflix special.
The special was enjoyable because of Rock’s comedy skills, and his reflections on having a mother that grew up in segregation who is now able to visit her granddaughter at a school in France was quite touching. I also loved his observation that the January 6, riots were “white men trying to overthrow the government…that they (already) run.”
It didn’t help that Netflix hyped the show with both pre and post-concert specials that felt a bit labored. Many of the celebrities that appeared in the specials were musicians, such as Bono and Rosie Perez, and it was hosted by David Spade, Dana Carvey and Ronny Chieng.
Dean Obeidallah is the host of a daily program on the radio. He can be followed at masto.ai by Dean Obeidallah. The opinions expressed are of his own. You can find more opinions on CNN.
When Will Smith Started to Slap a Famous Comedian: What Happened to him in the Final Line of a Comedy Special?
He showed Smith and the world what would happen to him if he slaps a famous comedian. The comedy special could have been called “Rock’s Revenge”, since it was titled “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage”.
Did he ever? Like Muhammad Ali (whom Smith played in the film “Ali”) Rock floated around that stage like a butterfly but stung Smith like a bee. First, he got the audience on his side by noting how much bigger Smith is than him: “This guy does his movies with his shirt off!” Rock made a joke. If I am in a movie about an open heart surgery and I got on a sweater, you have never seen me in a movie with my shirt off.
The former cast member of SNL had a crush on Will Smith, and said that he cheered for him his whole life. But after the slap, all that has changed.
Rock addressed a question that has been posed to him several times since the slap: “how come you didn’t do nothing back that night?” the comedian said people have frequently asked him.
He gave his response in the final line of his show: “Because I got parents. You know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of White people.” Members of the cheering audience rose to their feet as Rock dropped his microphone.
At that Oscars ceremony a year ago, Smith returned to the stage after the slap to accept the best actor award — a career highlight — for his portrayal of the father of Serena and Venus Williams in the biopic “King Richard.
“Love will make you do crazy things,” the actor told the audience as he accepted the statuette. The following month, Smith received a decade-long suspension from the Oscars. Then in July, he released a video saying he was “deeply remorseful” for his assault on Rock. I can assure you that on Saturday, Rock made him feel guilty again.
The lesson from the entire encounter is simple: Never slap a comedian, especially a famous one. You want to be a punchline for the whole world.
