Chris Rock has been doing specials in front of black audiences for most of his career. he can't help that white folks bought tickets. Most of the people saying this shyt wasn't an itch in their daddy's pants let alone alive when BIGGER and BLACKER came out. Be the same ones turning a blind eye to Cardi B saying those two cats on social media are "just cringe". Listening to Rappers call each other Ninjas and women bytches.
I don't co-sign the joke, it IS a shytty joke, but as a comedian I back him to say it, BUT he also has to deal with the fallout for saying a joke like that. Nobody please tell these folks about The Boondocks! There are whole ass episodes that are worse than this joke...that white people watched and starred in.
Chris was right to title this Selective Outrage.
I wouldn't agree that Chris didn't have a large black audience. However, it maybe true that his primary or initial audience was more white.
Either way he should have known better than to use that joke since Will was portraying a real person. If it were the 90s and/or it was a fictional character, he may have gotten away with it. Without hearing the jokes for myself I'm getting the impression that his jokes were not witty in general.
Also there were people who complained about the Boondocks and the Chappelle Show for the way black people were being shown. I can't recall the Chappelle Show, but I do remember people on this board complaining about the Boondocks. I agree that there is fake outrage, but there are people who care about how we are viewed in front of whites. it's possible the same people that took issue in the past are those same people today.
For some, a joke is a joke and for others there is a line. Alot of people felt a way about Wayne's line about Emmett Till. I don't believe Wayne meant to disrespect or make little of the event, but I also understand why people were outraged. Personally, I believe Chris is more aware than Wayne so I'm surprised he didn't have more foresight.