The comedian stepped to the Netflix stage to clap back at the Smiths, resurrect jokes about Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson, discuss Megan Markle and take aim at some new interpretations of woke culture and victimhood.
“Last thing I need is another mad rapper.”
That was the consistent refrain – and comedic build up- to the mic dropping end of Chris Rock’s live-streamed standup, “Selective Outrage,” which makes Rock the first artist to perform a live streaming Netflix special.
It aired nearly a year to the day after Rock was slapped by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars, causing international consternation about the role of live comedy, the showcasing of masculinity and the intent versus the impact of a joke. The comedian stepped to the Netflix stage to clap back at the Smiths, resurrect jokes about Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson, discuss Megan Markle and take aim at some new interpretations of woke culture and victimhood. The show, produced by Joel Gallen, tried to take a nation to task – democrat or republican, white or black, rich or poor – on the mental absurdities of selectively complaining, venting, agreeing or disagreeing with any number of hot-button issues.
I knew pretty early those shenanigans were coming when he started off the night with this:
“I’mma try to do a show tonight without offending nobody . You never know who might get triggered. You say the wrong thing. … gotta watch out. You know what people say, words hurt…Anybody who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
For the next hour or so, the comedian proceeded to provide reasons for various people to be offended. He showcased his signature narrative style by weaving stories about Elon Musk’s ejaculate, his parenting style with daughter Lola and the financial implications of dating women in their 40s and 50s. He talked of his exwife, the economics of light skin privilege, colorism, interracial dating, Ukraine, a hard to listen to bit about abortion and sex. Lots of oral sex. The running joke was that he was doing a comedy show on Saturday Night. Live. But the real groundbreaking moment here was that Netflix provided a stage and a mic so the world could tune in to possibly see how Rock might, in the words of the playground kids, get his licks back at Will Smith.
Through pointy self-deprecation and double entendre, Rock didn’t disappoint in that aspect. (Though he certainly will have succeeded, should more people view this special, to have freshly pissed off a new contingent of folks who will be justified in their offense.
