Chris Rock could have saved an old friend from a humiliating moment on national TV.
Jimmy Fallon donned blackface to imitate his fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum in 2000. Blackface has always been frowned upon, mostly due to its deeply racist roots that go back to an earlier chapter in American history.
A very, very ugly chapter.
Yet comedians would occasionally darken their skin to imitate black celebrities up until recently, and the culture generally shrugged it off. It's all about context.
Just ask Jimmy Kimmel, who darkened his skin to portray both Oprah Winfrey and NBA great Karl Malone.
Yet Fallon's Rock impersonation "resurfaced" during the Peak Woke Era — 2020, and he performed a hostage-style apology on his own show. "The Tonight Show," more specifically.
If Rock had instantly had his old friend's back, that might not have been necessary. Instead, Rock waited for several months to pass before voicing his support for Fallon.
Now, Rock is blasting that woke frame of mind in a new interview tied to his next directorial effort, "Misty Green." He shared his thoughts on "The Daily" podcast.
The problem with wokeness is we're in the Old Testament right now ... And the Old Testament has no forgiveness. The Old Testament didn't work. So they had to write a remix called the New Testament.
Well said. A little late, but well said. And he's not alone.
Chuck Lorre, the mega-producer behind "The Big Bang Theory," "Two and a Half Men" and several other shows, also slagged the woke mind virus in a recent acceptance speech. Lorre attacked President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and other GOP targets. He then shared this unexpected nugget about modern culture.
I’d like to beg the [Democratic National Committee] to run from the suicidal insanity of the far-left woke culture in the coming election, [and] urge them to seek the common-sense middle ground that emanates from the hardworking, blue-collar heart and soul of America.
Huh? Lorre has had multiple TV comedies under his control over the past decade. Why didn't he tweak the "woke mind virus" on any of them? Why speak up now?
Woke has been a part of American culture for roughly a decade.
Blame Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The New York Democrat may have given these liberal stars permission to slam woke overreach with her infamous quote from just a few weeks ago.
Simple. Direct. Telling.
"Woke 1 was crazy," she said.
Do Democrats see that as a negative part of their brand as we steer into the midterm elections?
Maybe. Likely. What's for sure? The Left doesn't mean it.
We know because we've seen a bunch of very woke actions in just the last few weeks, and no prominent Democrats (or celebrities) are rushing to object.
- An NBA announcer lost his job after ugly social media posts he shared at the age of 15 "resurfaced."
- USA Network put a trigger warning on the 1998 action comedy "Rush Hour."
- The BBC censored old comedy sketches for being offensive
- Sydney Sweeney faced a withering attack for daring to dress provocatively to hawk a sports betting app
Just know these stars care more about their political party's immediate future than any real anger over woke. Their current silence proves it.
