Comedy has long been a place to transgress the shades of grey.
To speak about the unspoken, to find humour where it seems quite bleak.
But, and this is one massive but, with the flowing allegations of serious sexual violence starting in the entertainment industry and rippling further, now is not the time to ‘test your new material’.
This is exactly what comedian and actor, Chris Rock, attempted to do at a recent gig, last Thursday night.
According to Page Six, Rock made relentless jokes about sexual harassment, even after friends said he should move on.
“They cry rape because they want money,” the 52-year-old said.
He went on, explaining to the audience that he no longer hires any women because he would need a “crew of witnesses” around him, to safeguard him against rape allegations.
“Nobody was laughing. There were many boos and many women who were telling him he was a sexist pig. Two people got kicked out,” a woman, who was in the audience, told Page Six.
After his ‘jokes’ were met with disgust by the audience, friend and fellow comedian, Jeff Ross, told him to move onto a new topic. Despite the advice, Rock continued, trying to compare his experiences with producer, Harvey Weinstein, with reports of rape.
“Weinstein f*cked with me by trying to have me star in the worst movies of all time,” he ended with.
The women of Mamamia Out Loud talk about what is happening in Hollywood… (Post continues after audio)
At the time of publication, representatives for Rock have no comment.