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Chris Rock: If Jennifer Lawrence ‘Was Black, She’d Really Have Something To Complain About’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 03:51 PST, Jan 10, 2016

Chris Rock is gearing up for one of his biggest roles ever — hosting the 88th Academy Awards on February 28. Cinema Blend reports that the first advertisement for the upcoming awards show came out on New Year’s Eve, with Chris Rock comparing Oscar night to New Year’s Eve, when a lot of drunk people will end the night vowing to do better next year.

Chris Rock is thought to be a safe choice to host the Oscars this year, in light of the highs and lows in response over the past few years. He is opinionated, but should keep it relatively light. Atlanta Black Star reports that Rock’s opinionated nature came out recently as he called out Jennifer Lawrence for “complaining” about getting paid less than men in Hollywood. Back in October, JLaw spoke out about the gender gap in an open letter.

“When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d*cks, I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need.”

But Chris Rock was hard on the younger star, stating that black women have it much harder than Lawrence does.

“Black women have the hardest gig in show business. You hear Jennifer Lawrence complaining about getting paid less because she’s a woman — if she was black, she’d really have something to complain about.”

Chris Rock referred to the likes of Viola Davis and Gabrielle Union, speaking about how they had to slog through supporting roles for years before they got their big break.

He also praised Leslie Jones and spoke about the fact that no one would give her a chance, until Saturday Night Live agreed to look at her.

“I mentioned her to several managers and agents over the years. Everybody passed. Lorne, because he’s the best at what he does, is the one who saw it. I don’t think he’d hired a cast member her age in a long time.”

After Chris Rock’s comments about how hard it is for black women in Hollywood, Comedy Hype reports Andrew Schulz got into a discussion about it with Nicole Byer, a discussion that started with his Twitter post. Schulz doesn’t seem to think anyone is different from anyone else — everyone has a hard time making it in Hollywood.

Nicole Byer disagreed.

“Nah boo boo. Black women have it rough. As do Asian actors. Hollywood is very white. Come on Schultzy. You sound silly.”

Schulz wasn’t swayed.

“Absolutely. My point was if you’re comparing to all the people who want to be in Hollywood there’s no difference. I don’t care that white or black women are making less. If you don’t like how much you make, ask for more. Easy. They’re acting like they’re forced to do the movie. Just say no. When the movie flops, they’ll pay you next time.”

Most likely, Chris Rock wouldn’t be swayed by Schulz’s argument, either. But aside from calling out Jennifer Lawrence and prepping for the Oscars, Chris Rock took some down time to take in a New York Knicks game on Sunday. The Daily Mail reports that Rock sat beside Jessica Chastain and shared a few laughs with her and her boyfriend Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo.

Looks like a good way to unwind.

Happy New Year, Chris Rock! See you at the Oscars!

[Photos by Kevin Winter, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

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