Chris Rock Calls Jimmy Fallon's Blackface Moment "Bad Comedy" & Insists He Isn't Racist

BY Erika Marie 2.1K Views
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Chris Rock
Fallon recently caught heat after a sketch from 20 years ago showing him wearing blackface to impersonate Rock went viral.

Later on this month, Chris Rock will make an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where he will reunite with his comedian friend. The two have known each other for some time and are both Saturday Night Live alums, so after Fallon caught heat for wearing blackface to impersonate Rock back in 2000, the public dragged the late-night talk show host through the mud. Jimmy Fallon faced accusations of all kinds during his scandal, but Chris Rock has addressed the controversy and said it isn't as big of a deal as people tried to make it.

“Hey, man, I’m friends with Jimmy. Jimmy’s a great guy,” Rock told the New York Times. “And he didn’t mean anything. A lot of people want to say intention doesn’t matter, but it does. And I don’t think Jimmy Fallon intended to hurt me. And he didn’t.” Rock also spoke about Fallon in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter and added that he didn't even see the sketch when it first aired 20 years ago and chalked the whole incident up to being "bad comedy." 

People accused Jimmy Fallon of being a racist, but Rock insists that his friend "doesn’t have a racist bone in his body." It seems that everyone has moved on from the viral moment, but Rock wanted to defend Fallon's character.

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About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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