By Chris Rock is currently under fire for making a joke about OJ Simpson’s wife Nicole Brown Simpson’s murder while speaking about being invited to return to host the Oscars in 2023.
The comedian, 57, said during a stand-up show on Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona, that he was requested to host the Oscars next year after Will Smith infamously slapped him at the 2022 show.
Rock joked that he would not go back to the Oscars because it would be like asking Simpson “to go back to the restaurant” where she left her glasses before she was killed.
Nicole Brown Simpson and 25-year-old restaurant waiter, Ron Goldman were murdered in 1995 and found stabbed to death outside her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Her ex-husband, former professional American football player OJ Simpson, was accused of both killings. However, he was later acquitted of all charges and was ordered to pay $33.5m in damages to the victims’ families.
The comment caused outrage on Twitter and one user wrote, “First, the G.I. Jane movie joke that got him slapped. Now, a Nicole Brown Simpson joke. Chris is really burning through the current events…from 25 years ago.”
Several users on social media suggested that Will Smith “didn’t slap him hard enough,” with one person calling for the comedian to be suspended by the Academy. “Can the academy suspend Chris Rock over his Nicole Brown Simpson remark? I think I understand where Will Smith was coming from better.”
Simpson’s sister, Tanya Brown says “his attempt at humor was distasteful to say the least and offensive”. She also believes comedians should be held accountable for what they say
Many users pointed out that there is more outrage over Rock’s joke about Simpson, a white woman, than there was over his comment about Pinkett Smith, a Black woman.
“Okay, So Chris Rock made a joke about a black woman, and everyone was defending him Saying “oh he was joking”. Now, since he made a joke about a dead white woman, suddenly, everyone is offended. America, America has a problem.” they tweeted.
Image: Sky News
