During a recent comedy show, Chris Rock’s brother Tony mentioned that there were “a lot of Rock brothers,” and now another one has come forward to speak out about Will Smith’s Oscars controversy.
Chris’ younger brother Kenny has opened up and shared his views about Smith’s slap at the 94th Academy Awards, which was seen around the world on live TV on March 27.
In a statement to the LA Times, Kenny said, “It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He continued, “My brother was no threat to him and you just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show.”
As most now know, Chris — a well-accomplished comedian — served as one of the 2022 Oscars presenters for the evening and told a few jokes on stage. As many comedians do, he incorporated his audience.
During his time on stage, Chris made a joke comparing Smith’s wife to Demi Moore’s character in the movie G.I. Jane. The now-infamous joke pointed out Pinkett Smith’s lack of hair. Pinkett Smith, who suffers from the hair loss disease alopecia, did not find this amusing, and her husband took matters into his own hands — literally.
According to the LA Times, Kenny said that his brother Chris did not know that Pinkett Smith suffered from alopecia.
After the assault took place, Smith did remain in the Oscars audience and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard. However, as backlash has intensified, including industry peers speaking out against his actions and complaints to the FCC, Smith has resigned from The Academy. Let us know your thoughts on the matter.