Comedian Chris Rock has found himself under fire after his Dec 14 monologue on “Saturday Night Live,” where he delivered a joke about Elon Musk that left audience members groaning and especially Black people on social media buzzing.
The backlash comes days after he stormed out of Anthony Pratt’s holiday party.
On Dec. 14, the 59-year-old comedian did a bit about South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk that rubbed viewers the wrong way. During his opening remarks, he declared Musk to be “the richest African-American in the world.”
When talking about President-elect Donald Trump, the Brooklyn native said, “He’s working with the No. 1 African-American in the world. The richest African-American in the world: Elon Musk.”
“That’s right. He is African American. Elon’s got more kids than the Cleveland Browns,” he continued, implying that having a lot of kids is a qualifier for being African-American.
Rock doubled down on the controversial quip, adding, “That’s right. Nobody knows how to get rid of people like a South African,” a line that visibly made the crowd uncomfortable.
Social media users flooded X to criticize the four-time Emmy winner after his joke about Musk’s racial identity sparked debate.
Chris Rock's monologue! pic.twitter.com/MedUMLCBqz
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 15, 2024
“Yeah, so thought I’d watch Saturday Night Live with Chris Rock as host thinking maybe he’s chilled out on the racial devisive bulls—t. But nope turns out he’s still a Race Baiting, Racist F—K,” one person tweeted.
Another wrote, “Low key Chris Rock’s whole routine is racist white jokes. Bro an agent,” as someone else said, “Chris Rock is truly only funny to white people. This is what a modern day jiggaboo looks like.”
A third person snapped what a fictitious headline should read, “Chris rock coons for a white man again more news at 5,” before posting a silly GIF of his performance.
“Chris rock coons for a white man again more news at 5” https://t.co/zyzzjnHttx
— baconlemoncake (@baconcake77) December 15, 2024
One X user struggled through the joke, writing, “Chris rock confuse me sometimes because I don’t know if he for the people or not…. be so flip floppy.”
But not everyone cared to figure out whose side he was on. In fact, they seemed done with his humor, tweeting, “Would’ve been better if Will Smith was there to smack Chris Rock after his monologue.”
The comment, of course, referenced the 2022 Oscars, when the “Men in Black” actor bum rushed the stage while he was hosting and slapped the comic after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
After this incident, while Rock was able to quadruple his ticket prices for his standup shows, he also got into controversy for making jokes about women, particularly Black women, including the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, and Torrei Hart.
Rock’s recent “SNL” monologue shows he doesn’t mind ruffling feathers.
During the bit, he took aim at several high-profile figures, including former President Donald Trump, whom he noted had survived an assassination attempt and been named Time’s Person of the Year.
He referenced Trump’s alliance with Musk by joking about potential mass deportation plans, quipping that they might “put them on a rocket ship, call it Space Mex.”
The comedian didn’t stop there. He made additional remarks that drew mixed reactions, including comments about the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. While expressing condolences to Thompson’s family and talking about the media’s fascination with his killer, Luigi Mangione, the “New Jack City” actor quipped, “You also got to go, ‘You know, sometimes drug dealers get shot.’ I mean, you seen the ‘The Wire.’”
Rock also weighed in on other current events with another joke that rubbed people the wrong way, saying, “[It’s] been a bad year for my people. The Blacks. Kamala … Diddy… Jake Paul beating Mike Tyson.”
Fashioning the joke around the YouTuber, he questioned how ethical it was for 27-year-old to fight Tyson, who is 33 years older.
The monologue exemplifies Rock’s trademark controversial comedy, which often walks a fine line between humor and provocation. As controversy continues to swirl, his recent “SNL” appearance proves once again that his comedy remains as divisive as it is popular.
