Longtime funnyman and Hollywood movie star Martin Lawrence took to social media this week, amid the ongoing Oscar chatter, to remind fans that far worse limits have been crossed onstage. According to Martin, that’s long before Chris Rock took jabs at Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which resulted in the slap heard around the world, handed down by 94th-Annual Academy Award winner Will Smith.
“Once I get on stage, I’m like a kid in a candy store,” the 56-year-old chuckled in a vintage clip posted to his Instagram account on Thursday, March 31. “Being able to say what I want– I push the American thang to the limit,” the former “Def Comedy Jam” host added. “Don’t know any other way!” he captioned the post.
Several fans in the comments section appeared to agree with the funnyman, including one user who wrote, “That’s what comedians do they talk/joke about themselves and other ppl too, love me some Martin.” Another person echoed, “If you start censoring comedy, it can’t exist. It is what it is.”
Still, some believed that Smith’s “Bad Boys” collaborator was seemingly siding with Rock, stating, “I think this is Martin with a little innuendo sticking up for Chris Rock. I could be wrong tho.”
A third person argued that while offending people may come with the job title, they claim Rock was out of line. “Not his comedy stage. He was there to present an award.” That person added, “That was his 1 job, and he messed that up.”
Lawrence’s reminder comes on the heels of another vintage clip of his that also has been making its rounds on the internet. During an episode of the popular ’90s stand-up comedy series, the comedian called out the late hip-hop legend Todd 1, who had been in the audience. The “Martin” star poked fun at him for getting MC Lyte’s name tattooed on his chest.
“And I used to f–k her,” the star blurted out about the “Lyte as a Rock” emcee. Laughter rang throughout the entire room as Todd immediately walked off. He soon returned to his seat, where he was spotted laughing and high-fiving some of his friends who had been nearby. “Believe me,” Lawrence continued, “There’s a lot of lyte at the end of that tunnel, boy!” As viewers could see, Todd 1 didn’t appear to be bothered by the comedian’s statement.
Almost everyone has commented on the trending topic of the awards incident. Smith’s fate now rests in the hands of the Academy members, who are set to meet on April 18, to discuss possible punishment.
