Chris Rock has joined the growing backlash against cancel culture, insisting it is “disrespecting” audiences — and responsible for a rise in “unfunny” entertainment.
The 56-year-old comedian told Power 105.1’s “The Breakfast Club” Monday that the real fear of getting canceled has made people become “safe.”
“And when everyone gets safe and nobody tries anything, things get boring,” he told the New York station’s Angela Yee and DJ Envy.
“I see a lot of unfunny comedians, I see unfunny TV shows, I see unfunny awards shows, I see unfunny movies — because everybody’s scared to make a move,” he said.
“And that’s not a place to be … Now you got a place where people are scared to talk,” he said, saying it was bizarre “especially in America.”
He said it was particularly pointless to target comedians because they already face the “ultimate cancel” of their jokes failing.
“You don’t really have to cancel us, cos we get the message — they’re not laughing! … When we do something and people aren’t laughing, we get it,” he said.
As such, dictating what people should find funny is “disrespecting the audience,” he insisted.
“Like, ‘Oh, you think you know more than the audience?’ The audience knows more than everybody,” he said.
The funnyman was just the latest to accuse cancel culture of ruining art.
Last Week, Donald Glover, the 37-year-old actor and director also known as rapper Childish Gambino, tweeted that “We’re getting boring stuff and not even experimental mistakes(?) because people are afraid of getting canceled.”
