Chris Rock’s Netflix special, Selective Outrage, has moved other comedians to share their thoughts on the fiasco.
Marlon Wayans is the latest comedian to weigh in. The veteran funnyman sat with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his HBO Max special, God Loves Me, which addressed the Oscars slap. However, Wayans will not touch on Jada Pinket-Smith’s alopecia.
Wayans said he first used the Oscars slap as material during an improv show shortly after the shocking incident played out on national television.
“I’d seen the slap when it happened. I swear I watched it like everybody else,” Wayans said. “And I called Chris, I called Will. See, everybody’s a friend, so I texted Will and was like, ‘Are you OK?’ Chris, I was like, ‘Where’s your face?’ (Laughs.) And I said, ‘Are you OK?’”
Wayans continued, “I was doing a show in Oxnard that weekend, and I talked about it onstage at the Improv. I had five minutes of thoughts, and I like to speak truth onstage and see where it goes. So I did that and by the end of the week, I had 15 minutes. I kept exploring the truth and it became like a Rubik’s cube to me. I got one side. That’s the Chris Rock side. I got what’s my experience with Jada, and then what’s my experience with Will. What’s my experience in the industry? What’s my experience as a Black person? What do white people feel? Before I knew it, I had an hour of material. I was actually doing a set about my mom, and dealing with the grief of losing my mother. I was like, ‘Sorry, Ma, I’m gonna put you to the side for a second. (Laughs) I need to explore this.’ I did [live comedy festival] Netflix Is a Joke in April, and I had all this material — an hour and a half — and the set all blended, but it was bifurcated. So I decided to separate the two, and before I knew it, I had an hour in this Chris, Will and Jada thing.”
God Loves Me, Wayans’ third hour-long special, aired on March 2.