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CHRIS ROCK FINALLY hit back at Will Smith yesterday in a brutal stand-up routine, a year after the actor slapped him in front of a global TV audience for the Oscars.
The comedian came out swinging, accusing the Hollywood star of “selective outrage” when he reacted to a jibe about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, and saying Smith lashed out at a shorter man because he was annoyed his wife had cheated on him.
“Will Smith practices selective outrage,” Rock told an audience in a show that was streamed live on Netflix.
“Everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t have any entanglements,” he said, referring to Pinkett Smith’s acknowledged marital infidelity.
Rock was presenting an Oscar in Hollywood last March when he joked about Pinkett Smith’s closely cropped head. She has alopecia.
The “Men in Black” star mounted the stage and slapped the comedian hard across the face, before returning to his seat and yelling obscenities at the presenter.
A few minutes later, Smith was presented with an Oscar for best actor for his role in “King Richard.”
He later apologized to Rock, but was banned from the Oscars for a decade.
Rock was praised for his measured response on the night, and has maintained near silence on the issue in the year since.
But on Saturday night’s livestream from Baltimore, he let rip.
“People ask ‘Did it hurt?’. It still hurts,” he said.
“Will Smith is significantly bigger than me. Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in a movie. You think I auditioned for that?”
The comedian said Smith had been widely mocked after an episode of his wife’s podcast in which the couple talked about her affair and how it affected him.
“Why would you do that?” he asked. Many people have been cheated on, but the Hollywood power couple are the only ones who discussed it in public that way, he said.
Rock added that he had tried to offer condolences after news of the affair became public.
Rock said the animosity from Pinkett Smith stemmed from a few years earlier when she had called on him to boycott the Oscars because her husband had been overlooked for his 2015 movie “Concussion.”
“She said… a grown ass man should quit his job because her husband didn’t get nominated for ‘Concussion.’ Then (Smith) gives me a concussion,” he quipped.
“That’s how it is; she starts it, I finish it. Nobody was picking on her.”
Rock, who at times appeared genuinely angry, said before last year he had always loved Smith, first as a rapper, and then as an actor.
“He’d made some great movies. I’ve rooted for Will Smith my whole life,” but now, he said, he was rooting for the slave master who beats Smith’s character in his latest movie, “Emancipation.”
Rock’s show was the first live comedy event for Netflix, with the platform reportedly also looking at offering live sports.
Rivals including Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video already offer live events including sports and musical performances.
Netflix hosts a live comedy festival at dozens of venues in Los Angeles, but those shows have not yet been available to stream live on its platform.
This year’s Oscars will be held on 12 March.
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And you have a state actor on a certain morning time radio show calling for fiscal responsibility with regards to tax cuts. I suggest that presenter looks at where tax payer money is going before casting his aspersions
@Argus Romsworth: Corrupt foolhardy government politicians abusing taxpayers’ money. This should be investigated by the Gardaí.
@Argus Romsworth: They need to look at reducing financial waste in this country. Its completely and utterly and TOTALLY out of control. But we shouldn’t hold our breath. Instead of putting resources into reducing waste, they will put resources into hiding things better. That’s how things roll in this kip.
@David Corrigan: I’m of the opinion that this is a good country with a very well defined progressive tax system. However there are some abuses being committed with tax payer money. And the blame for that lies squarely at fine gaels door. Not the OPW.
@Argus Romsworth: They always call for fiscal responsibility around tax cuts but never about spending. Their spending is up 62% in the 8 years since Leo Varadkar said they would phase out USC. The budget was 68 billion then, it’s 110 billion now…… Absolutely criminal still taxing us as if it’s austerity times still while they blow money left right and centre!!!! Absolutely criminal not adjusting tax credits and bands in respect to such high inflation!!! Majority of any pay increases are going to the govt while our standard of living degrades!!!
@Argus Romsworth: It has the making of a great country in fairness. A lot of things going for us here but it is managed for the benefit of a few. There are no supports for the ordinary person across many functions.
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec:
The government deflect and blame the powerless opposition of having a magic money tree while they squander taxpayers money with impunity.
@Argus Romsworth: SF are a disaster of opposition, failing to hold the government to account time and time again, they are constantly beaten I votes of confidences. The flip flop on various policy’s etc, plus they are the least transparent party we have
@Liam23: Nobody in opposition will improve things I believe Liam. I can’t see how it can improve at all when the problem is at political level but even more so at all levels underneath i.e. the civil service etc. That will never be fixed.
We just have to suck it up. We are being managed by uneducated gangsters.
@Liam23: How is it SFs fault that they are beaten in no confidence votes of various govt ministers?!?! They and the other minority parties don’t have the enough votes….. Shame on the govt for not holding their ministers to account for their failings!!!! Scandal after scandal with no accountability in FFG!…… “Dublin is safe” my b0!!0x
Only Ireland could spend nearly 2 million quid on a hut and a shelter
@Scimon Harris: we’ll probably end up with a €100 million tribunal to investigate it.
In the meantime, I’m still waiting for the OPW funding to be cut by at least 30% in the coming financial years until some controls and oversight are put in place.
When money needs to be spent for the benefit of taxpayers, they seem to have amazing control over the amount spent.
Lack of school places – no funds available. Overcrowding in hospitals – no funds available. Not enough teachers- no funds available.
Bike shed for TDs – take whatever you want. Gym instructor- absolutely no problem. Security hut – go ahead spend what you like.
I am do fed up with that lot up there.
@karen delaney: . In all fairness it’s far from a hut. I agree with you that €1.4 million is entirely excessive.
@Richard Ford: I suppose it’s far from a bike shed ?
€2500,000 of taxpayers money for John McGuinness’ office when he was a junior minister. That was some waste.
They love to waste our money and we love to vote them back into office. It’s a vicious circle.
@cup of tea: exactly, this is what I can’t fathom, goldfish mentality and they know it .. please wake up people
@Richard Cullen:
And vote for the clown car we call the opposition.
FF/FG are the Gucci government; they are great at overspending taxpayers’ hard-earned money on vanity projects to line their cronies’ pockets, complete gangsters; RTE are amateurs compared to them.
@John Dennehy:
RTE will be getting €725 MILLION…
And accountability?
Nada.
Oh the irony of them spending 1.4m on a security hut when in fact they’re robbing us blind …
The chair spent a good chunk of taxpayers money on his own office toilet, as I recall.
It goes without saying that any spending of public finances (taxpayers money) in all departments, at all levels will show a lack of respect for the taxpayer. The system is rotten to the core.
@Toyo Ke: civil servants cannot be stacked, no matter how bad they are at their job. That’s the real problem. Rté being a prime example
@P. V. Aglue: Civil Servants get sacked all the time, it’s much more common for them to go at probation (or demoted from what’s called acting to substantive) but they can get sacked, although I’d be up for a lot more performance management, disciplinaries and sackings and I say that as a Civil servant. Accountability for public funds is shockingly bad.
And now they want a personal fitness trainer and gym???
@andy murphy: In all fairness, a good few of them could do with a good cardio session.
@John Dennehy: at our expense? They can f off
@Damien Leahy: The gym instructor is a distraction to the colossal amount of money that is being wasted elsewhere; they would be delighted with you talking about the gym instructor, knowing they can defend the argument somewhat and are not talking about the Children’s Hospital, bike sheds, security huts, RTE, homelessness, etc.
@Damien Leahy: no I think they will tell u to f off after they are re elected of course
@andy murphy: Terrible news. It could mean they will live longer.
Is it enough to force a GE???
@Gavin Smartr: no
@Brian Dunne: Why not?
@Gavin Smartr: How???
@Jack Cass: because one of the government parties would need to pull out for that to happen, and I can’t see any of them doing that. The election will be called for a time of Harris’s choosing
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: by fg realising if this bad string of news continues they could drop all of there gains they have made in the so called opinion polls. Or maybe one of the other parties will be so embarrassed they will pull the plug……hahahahahaha
Looks like SF really couldn’t do a worse job then these muppets.
@ian: it doesn’t matter who is in government it’s the civil service that run the country
@ian:
Yes Shin Fein are good with money, that’s why they bank it in Bulgaria.
“why it was allowed to spiral”
A good choice of words, John McGuinness, because, there’s money to be made by every monkey that can get his hands on a project. With help from government TDs and buddies in offices of senior civil servants, telephone calls are made, strings pulled, a ‘security hut’ becomes € 1,400,000 .
And a bicycle shed becomes € 336,000 of other people’s money. John Conlon having a big laugh at the Irish taxpayer, he gets well paid for it, too. Assh0les don’t care about money for children with scoliosis, but they do care about their own security , their own pockets, and their friends’ bicycles.
But wait, there’s more.
Soon after the bike shed outrage, the government who employs these assh0les gets a popularity boost of 9 points.
And this is why the Irish are f_cked.
@Tristan Ua Ceithearnaigh: Exactly as you say.
@Tristan Ua Ceithearnaigh: Free lube for everyone in the budget!
@Feakle Mattiere: Free Diesel, for all Tesla owners in the budget.
@Tristan Ua Ceithearnaigh: we do live in a safe democracy. If you feel strongly about it run for office. Start with the local council. Our politicians, as good or bad as they may be, have had the cojones to run for election.
Who gave planning for that design, it not keeping with the texture of the surrounding buildings, unlike the bicycle shelter.
@P. V. Aglue: the security needed a fully covered and wide area to smoke.
It’s like Independence Day, we might just be harbouring a secret government base studying aliens, “You don’t actually think they spend $20,000 on a hammer, $30,000 on a toilet seat, do you?”
What are the chances of brown envelopes or kickbacks in these transactions?
@Hunt Ley: you’re mistaking apathy for strategy.
@Hunt Ley: Extremely high.
I’m sure lessons will be learned
The problem in all these cases is an unaccoubtable public service that can spend as they like and no one in any public sector job are ever fired or held to account. It would be the same no matter what party is in government and what department or agency is involved.
The apple money will be gone within a weekend with this shower
@Sean Brannigan: Apple pie for the clowns.
For a security but, it doesn’t look very secure .
@Patrick MC Dermott: Have you ever seen an uglier structure. Where do we get these fools from?
Oh dear…..if only we had a party interested in representing the 2 million plus working taxpayers in the country…..
Maybe some money could be clawed back from the Arts Council? After all, it looks better than some of the “ART ” I have seen on the motorways.
@Helena Camella Cummins:
Go see what taxpayers money is spent on at the Museum of Modern Art at Kilmanhan.
Complete rubbish pre school stuff. The chancers should be made scribble their age on the bottem of the “art” before they get a penny of taxpayers money.
@H Woo: I do,and I agree. The best one was a wreck of a car in the square.The Emperor has no clothes came to mind at that visit
It appears to me that the CMan of OPW John Conlon is trying to push the blame onto the Gardai for the huge cost of this but . I’m afraid that this gentleman was asleep at the wheel for some time .He appears to have the Rip Van Winkle syndrome . What more is coming down the line in next few weeks ?.We need to know who the main contractor was for both jobs, that might clear up some aspects .
Cost that much due to Rip (Off) Wave Copper Roof…….
@Trevor McLoughlin: looks like mild steel,copper turns green with age.
@Trevor McLoughlin: it’s MDF with thin copper sheeting nailed on. Not really expensive. Unless it was marked up at a few 1000% margin it would barely make a dent in the overall cost.
Same with the security tech, even if has embedded facial recog built in, still not very expensive. Somebody put an extra 0 on the invoice.
@john murray: doubt they use MDF on a roof. Wouldn’t be a very suitable material fro that I would not think
Sure tis grand will happen again doubtless no accountability
Fr Ted would do a better job at this stage or even a drunk Fr Jack
I would dearly love to read the comments on this issue if Sinn Féin were the current Government. Every job that’s contacted out in this country is costing a way more than is necessary. State paying “then pile it on” nobody cares.
Commitment to Public Service Values is a competencey on all Civil and public service jobs, one of which is getting value for public money. It’s time to start sacking Civil Servants and yes that does happen, and no I don’t care how much it’ll cost in court cases. This has to stop.
Why should they care it’s not their money that they are spending
No bothers, FG and FF numbers to go up again next poll. Apparently the voters love being disrespected.
Apart from the ridiculous cost, it is an entirely disproportionate, gross carabuncle in front of the elegant main building.
And it is the tip of the iceberg of bad cost controls across most of out state services.
And don’t forget each of us have to pay 42,000 approx to cover the national debt.
The thing is that the number of people who are not affected is far more than the number who are.
The votes go to status quo, lower taxes etc.
Must have been a lot spent on the roof. When you look at the children’s hospital too, it seems unnecessary elaborate. We don’t want communist style buildings but there seems to be a lot of money going on style over function.
“Lack of respect for the taxpayer” every single public official since Dev. has this ingrained into them.
Anyone and everyone that’s in the spotlight over this fiasco have shoulders like a trout! No one will be held to account.
John Mc Guinness of Fianna Fail, whose party are in power & are responsible for this. Another fella standing on the ditch as a bystander, when his party are guilty, they are all hypocrites. Resign if you feel that strong about it.
Well it is nuke proof.
@Phillip Smyth: I don’t expect it’s even rain proof.
Security hut 14000 per m2 100m2
Bike shed 6600 per m2 50m2
NCH 8200 per m2 190000 m2
have your say