Chris Rock slammed for "tasteless" dig at Whitney Houston's drug addiction: "You should know better"
Comedian Chris Rock faced backlash after posting a meme of Whitney Houston on his Instagram. The meme shows the late singer sitting in a chair during a media interview wearing a pair of sunglasses and looking looking less than interested in the proceedings. The image in the meme, which has been doing the rounds of the internet for sometime, is accompanied by the punchline: “Me sitting in a meeting that could’ve been an email.”
What riled many was the caption that Rock left underneath the meme: “Hurry up I got crack to smoke."
Houston, who had a history of drug abuse throughout her life, died in February 2012 after drowning in a hotel bathtub. The singer reportedly had cocaine in her system at the time of her death.
The comedian instantly received backlash from fans for his insensitivity.
“Tasteless and cheap joke. You should know better,” one person wrote.
“This is how you speak on the dead? Make better content,” wrote another.
Another commented: “I was cracking up at the meme till I read your crack comment… I f**k with you but that was some lame sh*t. Seriously bro, you are a comedic genius. But you’re also a husband, a father, a brother, and a son. Most importantly, you’re a black MAN that a lot of people look up to. The sister Whitney Houston and those that love her don’t deserve that.”
Others called his post "bogus", "terrible" and "trash"
The most significant out of these would be that of Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown who came to her defense on Instagram as well. “During this time of women empowerment, you chose to use your time to try and humiliate our QUEEN!!” Brown exclaimed in support of his ex-wife, according to The Shade Room.
Some even came to the comedian's defense saying that this is just what comedians do. However, Rock removed the post on Saturday.
Rock’s recent Instagram jokes come just a month after he made headlines for his comments surrounding 'Empire' star Jussie Smollett.
Rock reportedly used Smollett’s absence at the NAACP Image Awards to make jokes about his recent circumstances. Smollett was recently charged with a felony after he allegedly staged a hate crime against himself. The charges were dropped under controversial circumstances.
The comedian reportedly stated that while he wouldn’t make any intentional jokes about Smollett, he believed the actor was “a waste of light skin.”