Who is Candace McDuffie? Journo says Chris Rock 'deserved to be slapped' for jokes on Black women
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A senior journalist at The Root ('Black News, Black Views with a whole lotta attitude') believes Chris Rock deserved to be slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars because it would teach him about "accountability" for making Black women 'the butt of his jokes over the years'. Candace McDuffie put out an essay on Sunday, March 5, titled 'Chris Rock Still Deserved to be Slapped by Will Smith', a day after the veteran comedian put the actor and his wife on blast for the notorious TV moment last year.
McDuffie was invited to CNN's new morning show Tuesday, March 7, to expand on her thoughts following her criticism of Rock's live standup special 'Selective Outrage'. Her views appeared to be a little too extreme for host Don Lemon, who seemingly pushed back on some of them. McDuffie asserted on the show that Rock had made Black women the "butt of his jokes for years" and that he needed to be held accountable.
ALSO READ
Chris Rock has been obsessed with Jada Pinkett Smith for almost 30 years, source claims
'Is Candace McDuffie condoning violence?'
"It's not so much about being slapped as it's about accountability, right," McDuffie told Lemon. "He has made black women specifically the butt of his jokes for years and he's finally being held accountable. So I feel this kind of sets the precedent going forward that people will be more careful about how they treat black women." Lemon, however, warned McDuffie that some would wonder if she's "condoning violence" by saying Smith should have slapped Rock. The writer conceded that her words did seem like a "bit much" in the "literal sense," after she wrote in her Sunday piece for The Root, "It’s not about condoning violence, but words—especially ones that make black women the punchline—should have consequences."
"Honestly, sitting here, you know, calling Jada out of her name, making fun of her hair condition, talking about her alopecia, words can be violent as well," she told Lemon on Tuesday. "And as we see black girls and women, we suffer abuse at higher rates in this country, so continuing to humiliate us only perpetuates this." Lemon asked her what she would say to those who think she's being "too sensitive" with respect to Rock's comedy. McDuffie responded by saying there is a problem with comedy in the US. "I think it speaks to a larger American pattern of using marginalized people as comedic fodder," she contended.
CNN's Don Lemon tries to get The Root's Candace McDuffie to explain that Will Smith slapping Chris Rock was justified because "words can be violence."
— Dale Jackson - "Alabama's Most Trusted Journalist" (@TheDaleJackson) March 7, 2023
When Don Lemon thinks your asinine perspective is odd, you have already lost. pic.twitter.com/bvaqO1pLmv
She continued, "It can also lead to violence being incited. It can lead to us being not seen as human. Words in comedy have larger consequences as we've seen in recent years," adding that Rock's Netflix special "wasn't comedy" but it was "really pain." The author went on to suggest that Rock "hasn't healed from what's happened, and instead of dealing with those emotions and those feelings, he's just taking it out" on black women.
Who is Candace McDuffie?
McDuffie is primarily a senior writer at The Root with a focus on the "intersection of race, gender, and entertainment" and her written works have been featured on Rolling Stone, MTV, Forbes, Grammy.com, Spotify, PAPER, SPIN, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Vibe, Tidal, Marie Claire, Paste, Essence, and The Boston Globe, per the author's website.
She has appeared as a commentator and contributor on various networks including MSNBC, HBO, BBC World Service: World Business Report, KCRW, and the Smithsonian Channel. McDuffie has also won several accolades, including Music Journalist of the Year at the 2020 Boston Music Awards as well as Hennessy's Privilege Toast. Furthermore, she was also a Key West Literary Seminar Fellow in 2022.