Did Chris Rock cross the line?

Question

I am not asking if Will crossed the line i am referring to Chris' joke about Jada's medical condition.

zeitgeist057 · Accepted Answer

Nope, he's a comedian. Getting on stage and making jokes is what he does. It's the REASON he was on that stage. That's like asking if Khamzat Chimaev hit too hard in this fight.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/u30quzXHDys

Now, to give a little perspective, if Khamzat Chimaev walked up to this dude in the grocery store and hit this guy or anybody like he did in the ring, then he would be in the wrong, and likely in jail (or maybe even prison).

Same thing for Chris Rock. If he told that joke off the stage, to Will and Jada on the red carpet, or to a bunch of people at a dinner party, then he would also be in the wrong.

Side note: Will Smith was supposed to be the special guest on the next Comedy Central Roast, but now no comedians want to do the gig, since it's obvious Will Smith is a violent baby with no sense of humor or self discipline.

Comedians make jokes about race, sexuality, disease, divorce, height, weight, age, death, pedophilia, drug abuse, and more.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bqLi6oxXI7I

Nothing and no one is sacred, and nothing is serious. It's all jokes, and as Charlie Chaplin said, "To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!". The reason we make jokes about sensitive subjects, and those are the funniest, is precisely because it shows our fears, our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities. We need to laugh at ourselves and each other to show that it's okay, life isn't that serious. Even if it's not perfect, it doesn't have to be miserable.

globetrotter22 · Accepted Answer

I never really liked Chris Rock so when I was first amused when I heard about this. But then I watched the entire video.

Here are the facts:

- Chris Rock is a comedian. To be funny you have to take risks and even be “offensive” at times. It takes guts especially when society continues to expand what is “offensive” vs what isn’t. Being a successful comedian in the age of cancel culture is no easy feat. Just ask Dave Chappelle

- The joke Chris told was very mild considering all the other crap Jada Pickett Smith had done. She was sleeping with a guy 20 years younger than her with Will Smith’s permission. Both of them have a long history of infidelity.

- Chris handled the slap very well. So well you almost think it was staged. He’s a bigger man than Will Smith considering how he shrugged that off.

- The oscars have been plummeting in ratings for years. People are fed up the condescension and woke bs. Also Hollywood has a lot more competition nowadays with TV. This slap was actually the best thing that could of happened to the oscars for publicity.

LovingLoverReturned · Accepted Answer

He Crossed Will and or Jada's line...
Everybody's line is different...

Some are thick... others thin..

TOXIC relationship...
I always tell my dates up front.. laughter is an involuntary response to stimuli.
I do it both when nervous and when my weird sends of humor is tickled.
I'd never want to be in a relationship where I'm on edge as will is.

Dburns1268 · Accepted Answer

Coming from someone who has multiple sclerosis, when u have a chronic condition (something u live with every day, every hour of your life) and u go out for a nice night with your hubby, u don't want to be reminded. Was Will correct in doing what he did? Absolutely not!! Don't know what he should've done but hitting someone in that situation was not appropriate.

BCA6010 · Answer

It was a pretty tame joke (and not exactly a hilarious thigh slapper either)... Jada needs to lighten up and Will honestly just needs to get out of that toxic faux-marriage because it has mentally broken him, and he just keeps getting dragged through the muddiest ditches of the public square every time any attention is given to it.

The "ShE hAs AlOpAsIa!!!" argument is pretty irrelevant; if she was really sensitive about that specifically, she would be wearing wigs rather than going buzzed for the last several years, and treating hair loss like it's a disability is ridiculous. It's nothing new, but Jada acts like the world revolves around her and doesn't respect anyone but herself.

DaveJord · Answer

Well lets be honest if want call baldness a medical condition then like 80% of the middle age men in the world have a medical condition... whatever.

So yes cracking jokes on someone appearance is unsavory... but it Chris Rock so get real.

HighlyVolatile · Answer

Yeah, that joke was really in bad taste. Might as well make fun of Stephen Hawking (RIP) for being a paraplegic like, "Deeerpp! I'm in a wheelchair!". That's not a reason to cancel a comedian though. Comedians misfire with jokes. They're navigating edges.

I don't believe in filtering or censoring comedy as a result. But with roasts of specific audience members, I think you can't be too surprised if someone gets pissed off and heckles you or slaps you in the face.

NathanDavis · Answer

considering that she also laughed at Will Smith's pain when she pretty much dragged him to her show for all the world to see how she justified for her to cheat on him with a boy... it makes it a bit difficult for me to see why something that was serious and personal is not crossing a line... but making a dumb joke that's not every serious in the first place is not okay, that's crossing lines... which lines though?

Lionman95 · Answer

I think he crossed a line because he could have chosen any other person in the audience to make jokes about them but he chose the probably only person with a medical condition.
I don´t think should be censorship but rather a question of values. It´s medical condition that led to people having suicides, I´m not sure I believe him that he didn´t know because I´d rather say he knew and didn´t care like: Your celebrity that gives me to joke about you.

supercutebutt · Answer

Nobody knows if he even knew about her condition. And even if he did, his joke was mild. He compared Jada to another hot actress. Oh the horror! He is known for roasting fellow celebrities and people should be honored to be teased by Chris Rock. That slap was a crime. Telling a joke isn't.

josephinelcajon · Answer

To me this really depends on whether he truly knew of Wills wife hair situation. I kind of feel like he did know, and, in that case, I do not feel the Oscars on live Prime time TV is the time or place. It should be some light humor but clean fun NO roasting!

InvoluntaryCelibate9 · Answer

If a comedian can't tell a joke without the sensitive snowflakes getting mad... We need to sit back and question what's wrong with the world.. and why are these snowflakes becoming so sensitive?
Pretty soon it will be justified to a punch a man for accidentally breathing on your wife

Sonorous · Answer

If there was no outrage, I doubt many people would be offended at his joke. So I believe that mob mentality is making the joke & his intentions seem worse than it actually is. I've seen people say way worse & get away with it because there wasn't a severely negative mob going at their throat.

dorksided1 · Answer

It really was not bad, it was not even a good joke. Jada should have been like yes boo I am waiting to and made a muscle, cause Demi Moore was badass in that movie. She should have taken it as a compliment really. Then Will could have before his award speech made reference that she had a medical issue and he did not appreciate it, turn things into a teaching moment these days

nawtee_me · Answer

When I was married, making fun of me is one thing. Making fun of my wife and in a way that hurts her... Well you deserve what you get. I applaud Will Smith for standing up for his wife. He open handed slapped him, like a bitch... It was not violence! A closed fist and a bloody nose would have been violence...

MCheetah · Answer

A comedian making a very tame joke about Will Smith's wife being compared to a strong courageous woman with a bald head? Oh yeah, SO OFFENSIVE! CANCEL HIM!!!

TommyMountainFigure · Answer

Everything about that was fixed from the way i saw it. Chris Rock sticking his face out, putting his hands behind his back waiting for the slap.
If it was seriously meant, don't you think he would have been walloped with a full fist?

TheMajesticKing777 · Answer

It all depends on audience, I watch Bill burr make jokes of mowing people down like a dictator, I've seen Louis CK make jokes about pedophilia and molesters so a bald joke is not a big deal to me, all I learned from that is that will Smith belongs in the sensitive audience, comedians make fun of everything, it's what they do, everyone was laughing which means the joke didn't bomb so I don't believe he was out of line, as a comedian the last thing you expect is to get assaulted for your jokes.

AviatorTom · Answer

It was a dumb joke but there have been worse ones over the years at awards shows. Difference this time is that someone (Will Smith) reacted to the joke; every other time, the person just laughed it off.

lrina · Answer

ehhh debatable, it wasn't really even that much of an offensive joke. i still just don't think that will should've slapped chris, that's taking it a bit far.

FunkyMonkee · Answer

I noticed that Wil was laughing at it until SHE said it wasn't funny!! ONLY THEN did he get up do something about it, sort of. If he actually had any class, he would've waited `til the next commercial and went to talk to Chris about it!

annabananna · Answer

I don’t think he did because I don’t think he knew she had a medical condition to make fun of. Honestly I would have taken that joke as a compliment if it was toward me. GI Jane is gorgeous and Jada does look like her and not just because she is bald but they look alike in the face and body type.

Just_call_me_Levi · Answer

People make jokes about disabled people, the terminally ill, slavery, sexism, suicide, rape, and far worse... It was a painful burn, but that was the point of the joke.

Comedy is under attack, censor culture needs to be stopped in my opinion.

Mangospacho · Answer

Nope. Will Smith did. Obviously Will Smith isn’t that concerned with his family when he’s perfectly fine letting his wife have sex with other dude. Plus, it’s a ROAST. Compared to most roasts, this was excruciatingly tame.

t-8900 · Answer

I'd will laughed and then had to ponder if Chris crossed a line then no, Chris never crossed the line.

ClaryFairchild26 · Answer

Yes it was very inappropriate!! It’s not funny… so what if someone had cancer it would be funny? No it’s not funnyyyy what he did was totally wrong

TDTD123 · Answer

He's a comedian and things like that should be expected. Not sure if his opinions hold that much weight where one would need to be slapped... If his wife was offended, she could have done it herself but didn't... probably because she wasn't that offended... but her husband sure was!
Being an actor, don't they realize that it's mostly all a show and not real? I think he's living the lie.

loveslongnails · Answer

It was "just a joke in extremely poor taste". It was a stupid joke that was followed by an even more stupid response.

genericname85 · Answer

no. smith did. no words legitimate physical violence. but anyway I don't know why everyone pays so much attention to this meaningless nonsense.

Anonymous · Answer

Maybe for the Oscars. Such a crack would be commplace in any comedy club in America. As I said people need to remember he's a comedian. He forgot this is Hollywood. Vanity is their bread and butter and he didn't humiliate her in a roomful of people. He did across the country. Like another poster has said on another question it might have been forgotten Will did her equally a disservice by making it headline news.

Anonymous · Answer

Absolutely. I don't blame Will at all, "appropriate" or not. Chris should've at least talked to Will about his material before he did it and got his approval.

Anonymous · Answer

No he did not. And for all the idiots saying you shouldn't make fun of a medical condition, where was that outrage when Lance Armstrong, the famous bike racer lost a testicle to cancer? All the leftists, all the celebrities, all the sensitive people were making jokes about that. Some still do, and that was years ago. There is a shit ton of other examples of these people making fun of "medical conditions", so I'm not trynna hear their bullshit about this now.

Anonymous · Answer

What if he focused on Will Smith being a cuckold who likes white men to fuck his wife. Would that have been better, or worse?

What if he focused on their children. Their kids are the most privileged and fucked up kids in the entire country.

Those are not medical related, and should should be embarrassing to both of them

clampfan101 · Answer

I’d say it poked at the line, but didn’t quite cross it. Also he acted like quite a gentleman about being slapped.

Anonymous · Answer

He needs to keep will smith's wife's box out of his mouth

Massageman · Answer

I'm surprised that Jada didn't come up there herSELF and give him a GI Jane boot to the nose!

Jaykrisss · Answer

I don't see these as jokes. So people say i am bad at processing jokes. I hate to hear them especially the insulting kinds.

shortster · Answer

The joke compared Jada to Demi Moore in her prime. If that crosses a line. Then you can't even say "you look good today."

Flower7 · Answer

It depends on whether or not he knew that she has a medical condition.

SpitSpan · Answer

He was envious. And that is a concealed attack. Will was in self defense.

MrTaboo · Answer

I'm leaning towards staged. There parts that look staged. And the parts that didn't, we'll Will Smith a very good actor. And his wife just a week ago said on her podcast that she is proud of being bald. Wait...

AndrésC64 · Answer

There are no lines. Once we start drawing lines comedy will cease to exist. Someone will always be offended about something.

cloud9vortex1234 · Answer

The joke was actually tame. Also, Chris Rock didn't even know she had a Medical Condition. If the Oscars were serious about not condoning what Will Smith did then they would strip him of his oscar.

anylolone · Answer

It wasn't about her medical condition. That's if she had alopecia.

boggboss · Answer

Yet the joke was not based on the condition I do think he took the piss but didn't cross the line

douride2 · Answer

And what if he didn't know about the medical condition? Some women are choosing to shave there heads these days

Anonymous · Answer

Get a life! Why the F*** would you care about 2 multi-millionaires who don't give a rat's ass about you! You live in a different world than them. Grow up and go get a life!

eagle1951 · Answer

unless it was a setup, sometimes the joke back fires

Anonymous · Answer

Not really, he was just joking, comedians make fun of everyone

skyeee_ · Answer

if im completely honest... no. but will smith is a huge hypocrite.

bulletbob555 · Answer

Its a medical condition. What would they say if he started crackin on the deaf guy. To me its sorta the same thing

Anonymous · Answer

I don't even think Chris Rock knew she had scalp issues, he probably just thought she shaved her head like GI Jane because Jada has always been weird.

joeldalton · Answer

Either everything is ok to joke about or nothing is ok to joke about.

motownplayer2000 · Answer

Yeah. But he’s a comedian.. they get aways with anything.. really

Guanfei · Answer

He didn't. And it would have stayed that way if that cheating bitch and her lapdog husband didn't move.

JesseJayNeak · Answer

No, he wasn’t. Will did the same thing at the Arsenio Hall Show but, unlike Will, the guy took the joke

888theGreat · Answer

He didn't know. You liberals think if you can't read minds , you should be put to death.

Aurora1010 · Answer

I'm sure he didn't know

Foteini1985 · Answer

No I don’t like glittery vampires.

Hennessy_A · Answer

Yes! he absolutely went too far.

Anonymous · Answer

But did he even know about her condition?

StrawberryShake · Answer

No...

Iron_Man · Answer

No way lol

Fuentes · Answer

Lol nope

Did Chris Rock cross the line?

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