After revealing he turned down a hosting gig at the awards show, Chris Rock is being slammed by fans for his Nicole Brown Simpson jokes made during a stand-up comedy show. Rock became the center of a variety of headlines this past March when he made a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith's expense while presenting Best Documentary Feature. Will Smith swiftly took to the stage and slapped Rock's face and profanely warned him to not refer to Jada any further. Though Smith has since apologized for slapping Rock and explained his lack of apology during his Oscars' acceptance speech as being caught up in the moment, debate has continued to rage about who is in the right in the situation. Rock has remained fairly quiet on the matter, making some quips during recent stand-up performances making fun of the King Richard star and comparing his situation to that of Dave Chappelle, who was also recently attacked during a stand-up performance. While the majority of opinion has sat in Rock's favor over the past six months, the comedian may see the tide of opinion turn against him.On the heels of news breaking that he turned down the hosting offer, fans have taken to social media to slam Chris Rock for his Nicole Brown Simpson jokes made at an Arizona stand-up comedy performance. Rock referred to the late wife of O.J. Simpson in comparison to his Oscars rejection, saying it would be like her returning to the restaurant where she ate before her infamous murder. Users on social media flooded with criticisms for his perceived "misogynistic" and tasteless jokes, some even sharing they have sided with Will Smith through their situation. See some of fan's reactions below:
Nicole Brown Simpson's murder, which many still argue to be at the hands of her husband O.J. Simpson, is still one of the more infamous and scandalized celebrity murder cases in history, being the first to create a media circus around murder trials and spawning a variety of fictionalized depictions, most notably The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. The former NFL player/Naked Gun actor would ultimately be acquitted from the case, though was still held responsible for hers and Ronald Lyle Goldman's deaths, and forced to pay $33.5 million in damages. As many point out in their reactions, Chris Rock comparing his being slapped during the Oscars to the brutal murder of Nicole Brown Simpson won't resonate well for many, as the two are severely different.
Much like in the wake of the Will Smith Oscars slap, there are some who continue to defend Chris Rock from a Free Speech perspective, believing comedians are allowed to make jokes at anyone's expense. With Rock now in the hot seat for his latest comments, it will be interesting to see how the subject of cancel culture in the stand-up comedy world may or may not affect the Golden Globe nominee. Those eager to see a smoother Academy Awards can at least take comfort knowing that Rock turned down the opportunity to return to host the Oscars next year.
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