Writer Tells CNN’s Don Lemon Chris Rock Deserved Slap For Treatment of Black Women: ‘Words Can Be Violence’

The Root‘s Candace McDuffie defended her column saying Chris Rock “Deserved to Be Slapped by Will Smith” because of his history o attacking Black women, telling CNN’s Don Lemon that “words can be violence too.”

Rock is making headlines with his expansive reaction to the Oscars slap in his new Netflix comedy special Selective Outrage — and drawing criticism from critics like McDuffie, who wrote a column in response.

The headline and McDuffie’s subhed sum up her criticism well. “Now that Chris Rock had his ‘Bitch laden’ Netflix sketch, it proved what people have been saying: Chris Rock has always antagonized Black women,” she wrote.

On Tuesday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, Lemon interviewed McDuffie, and asked if her premise amounts to promoting violence:

DON LEMON: Part of that was a larger push. So because Black actors weren’t being nominated, so. But critics also blasted Rock for making Black people the butt of his jokes to appeal to a white audience. And our next guest writes that Rock, quote, “deserved to be slapped.” Joining us now is a senior writer at The Root, Candace McDuffie. Good morning to you. Why did you think he deserved to be slapped?

CANDACE MCDUFFIE: It’s not so much about being slapped as much as it is about accountability. Right? He has made Black women specifically the butt of his jokes for years, and he’s finally being held accountable. So I feel like this kind of sets a precedent. You know, going forward, hopefully, that people will be more careful about how they treat and discuss, you know, Black women.

DON LEMON: You know, people are going to focus on your words, saying, you know, is Candace McDuffie condoning violence, saying that, you know, that Will Smith should have slapped Chris Rock.

CANDACE MCDUFFIE: I think, you know, in the literal sense it seems like a bit much. But honestly, sitting here, you know, calling Jada out of her name, making fun of her hair condition and talking about her alopecia, words can be violent as well. And as we’ve seen Black girls and women, we suffer abuse at higher rates in this country. So continuing to humiliate us only perpetuates this.

DON LEMON: A lot of people laugh, though, when they hear the jokes and they say he’s a comedian. He’s just being funny. Maybe you’re being too sensitive about it. What do you say?

CANDACE MCDUFFIE: I think it speaks to a larger American pattern of using marginalized people as comedic fodder. And then it can also, you know, lead to violence being incited. It can lead to us being not seen as human. Words in comedy have larger consequences, as we’ve seen in recent years.

DON LEMON: A Black woman comedian as, you know, you know, Leslie Jones calling out the, what she calls and I quote, “hypocrites” who are attacking Chris Rock. She says, for sharing his perspective on what happened. In another quote, “He is a comedian. This is his way of expressing it. If he’s sang he would write a song because it’s painful, it’s a painful thing that happened. What do you say to Leslie Jones?

CANDACE MCDUFFIE: What we saw on that stage wasn’t comedy. It was comedy, but it was really pain. We had to heal from what’s happened and instead of kind of dealing with those emotions and feelings, he just taking it out and continues to take his rage (inaudible).

DON LEMON: At the end of this special, he addresses why he didn’t retaliate when he slapped when he got slapped. Watch this.

CHRIS ROCK: You know, my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.

DON LEMON: Does that joke bother you?

CANDACE MCDUFFIE: So much. You’re telling me that Black people can’t fight in front of white people, but you can humiliate Black people in front of white people? There was recently a clip that resurfaced of him with Jerry Seinfeld and Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K., where he gave Louis C.K. the pass to say the N-word. How was that? Okay. Right. But we have to act a certain way. But it doesn’t apply to him.

Watch above via CNN This Morning.

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