Jada Pinkett Smith has claimed that Chris Rock once asked her on a date. “He called me and basically he was like “I’d love to take you out.” And I was like, “What do you mean?” He was like, “Well aren’t you and Will getting a divorce?” I was like, “No Chris, those are just rumors”. He was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that,” Pinkett Smith told People.
The claims that Rock once asked her on a date come in the same interview as the bombshell that Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have been separated since 2016. “We’re still figuring it out. We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us.” However, she also said that the couple lives “completely separate lives”. In the interview came ahead of the release of Pinkett Smith’s new memoir next week.
In the same interview, Pinkett Smith also spoke on the now-infamous Oscars Slap. Pinkett Smith claimed that she initially believed that it was a skit. “I thought, ‘This is a skit. I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him’. It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit,” Pinkett Smith explained.
Furthermore, she discussed how she handled the situation immediately after the incident. “[I told myself] I’m going to be by his side, but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself.” This latter comment earned Pinkett Smith a lot of backlash online. Many people argued that it was an out-of-pocket thing to say. This is due to the slap originating from Will Smith standing up for Jada in the face of Rock’s jokes aimed at her.
During a recently published bombshell interview, Jada Pinkett Smith claimed that she initially believed Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars was a skit. “I thought, ‘This is a skit. I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him’. It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit,” Pinkett Smith explained.
Furthermore, she discussed how she handled the situation immediately after the incident. “[I told myself] I’m going to be by his side, but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself.” This latter comment earned Pinkett Smith a lot of backlash online. Many people argued that it was an out-of-pocket thing to say. This is due to the slap originating from Will Smith standing up for Jada in the face of Rock’s jokes aimed at her.
However, her response to the Oscars slap was not the only thing that Pinkett Smith has faced backlash for in recent weeks. Jada made a statement relating to the arrest of Duane “Keefe D” Davis for the murder of 2Pac. “Now I hope we can get some answers and have some closure. R.I.P. Pac.” Pinkett-Smith and Shakur were reportedly close in high school. Furthermore, Pinkett-Smith has previously said in interviews that one of her biggest regrets in life is not telling Shakur that she loved him.
However, prior to this, Pinkett Smith had gotten backlash for sharing never-before-seen images of herself and 2Pac. Furthermore, she also shared videos of them dancing over a Will Smith song. People accused Pinkett Smith of capitalizing on the renewed attention on 2Pac’s case as well as disrespecting both Pac and Smith by conflating the two loves of her life. In other revelations, Pinkett Smith opened up about experiencing “bouts of depression” on semi-regular occasions in her new book that is out later this year. “Don’t be afraid, I tell myself. You are in peaceful, beautiful Ojai. Why are you so scared? Because, I answer right back, what if THIS actually kills me?” she writes.
Chris Rock is set to take on a new challenge as he directs a biographical film about the legendary civil rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. While no release date or casting details have been announced yet, Rock’s involvement in this project reflects a larger trend of recognizing and celebrating the stories of lesser-known Black […]
Comedian Chris Rock has moved on from the Oscars drama with Will Smith and now he is in talks to direct a big screen biopic on civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King. In collaboration with executive producer Steven Spielberg, Rock, 58, is in final talks to direct and produce a biopic about the late civil-rights activist for Universal Pictures, according to a release obtained by PEOPLE.
Kristie Macosko Krieger and Amblin Partners will co-produce alongside Rock, while Universal’s Senior Vice President of Production Development Ryan Jones will oversee, per the release.
The film will be based on Jonathan Eig’s New York Times best-selling biography, King: A Life.
Released earlier this year, the book “follows MLK from the classroom to the pulpit to the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Memphis, [as] Eig dramatically re-creates the journey of a man who recast American race relations and became our only modern-day founding father — as well as the nation’s most mourned martyr,” an official synopsis for the book reads.
Chris Rock and Steven Spielberg are teaming up for a biopic on the life of American icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
According to Variety, Chris Rock will direct and produce the film, Steven Spielberg will fill the role of executive producer. Universal Pictures supports the film and will pull from the King: A Life biography created by Jonathan Eig. The book is considered to be the “definitive biography” of the civil rights icon, bringing FBI information and interviews to create a “courageous but emotionally troubled individual who demanded peaceful protest while grappling with his own frailties and a government that hunted him.”
It’s been a long, long time since we got anything quite as dominant and conversation-striking in pop culture as the Oscars slap. If you lived under a rock for it, Will Smith slapped host Chris Rock onstage after the latter made a joke about the former’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. It inspired a lot of debate over whether it was justified that continues to this day, despite it being over a year old. Moreover, you might’ve expected both to talk about it at length, and while they have through other means, Rock’s never done an interview about it. Now, though, it seems like he’s already thinking about it, according to rapper and Drink Champs co-host N.O.R.E.
“Chris Rock gave me one of the greatest compliments at Nas’ birthday party!” N.O.R.E. tweeted early Thursday (September 21). “He said ‘I’m not ready to talk; but when I am; I’m not going to Oprah, I’m coming to see you N****. @DrinkChamps [handshake emoji] [goat emoji].” Of course, having the comedian on Drink Champs would make for a huge moment. What we’ll have to see is when he’ll be ready for a full conversation about it.
However, that’s not to say that Chris Rock needs to fully address the situation if he doesn’t want to. After all, via his stand-up special, brief statements, and a whole lot of hearsay from other parties, we already know more or less how he feels about it. Still, N.O.R.E.’s more laidback and conversational style will probably make for a fitting look back on this incident and how it’s affected him since then. Sure, Drink Champs has had its hiccups with guests, but they’re very few and far between when compared to a lot of other media.
Meanwhile, this is not the only recent podcast appearance that the MC has in mind when it comes to his guest plans. Noreaga also responded to Kid Cudi’s request that he wants to join the show one day soon to talk about upcoming music, his career, his plans, and more. No matter who he and DJ EFN pull on, we’re sure it’ll make for quite the romp, and in this slap case, a pretty comprehensive reflection. On that note, check back in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on N.O.R.E. and Chris Rock.
Despite it being over a year and a half since Will Smith famously slapped Chris Rock on stage during the Oscars, people are still enamored with the event. Smith famously took issue with one of Rock’s jokes about his wife prompting him to come on stage and slap the host on live television. He followed that with a memorable declaration for the comedian to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth. Later that night when he won an award for his role in King Richard he made a memorable, emotional acceptance speech.
It was a legendary night for pop culture and one that people are still talking about to this day. Recently, Leslie Jones shared some new details on the aftermath of the event for Chris Rock. She mentioned that he had to go to counseling afterward saying, “that sh*t was humiliating, it really affected him.” In a post sharing the statement fans continue to take aim at Rock. “I bet he learned how to keep a man’s wife name out his mouth,” the top comment on the post reads. “All the therapy he really needed was a get back,” another commenter suggests. Check out the full post below.
Earlier this year reports emerged claiming that Will Smith himself did alright following the slap. He reportedly had his “best rest” during his time away from Hollywood following the controversial slap moment. Will got to travel. Will got to step outside of all this stuff and when he was back he said — best rest he’s ever gotten. Best time he got to sit back and look at things,” one of his co-stars John Salley said.
Earlier this year Chris Rock released a new stand-up comedy special on Netflix. It came to light shortly before the special was released that Netflix had edited out a joke about the slap after Rock badly messed up his delivery of the joke. What do you think of Chris Rock needing counseling following the notorious Oscars slap? Let us know in the comment section below.
Burning Man is a festival that die-hard fans look forward to annually due to its unique nature and unconventional theme. Held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, the festival is not for the faint of heart. However, this year’s event took on a new sense of chaos due to severe weather. Between torrential rain, flooding, and overall unbearable conditions, the usual Burning Man adventure became a huge misadventure. As the desert debacle unfolded, one person reportedly died, and thousands were stranded. While the situation has improved, many are still trying to make their way home. Here’s everything we know about what has happened at Burning Man so far.
Burning Man Beginnings
This years theme for Burning Man is the “American Dream: and what better sign which is displayed on the playa then one similiar to the one ftom Las Vegas. (Photo by Frederic Larson/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
According to the Burning Man website, the event started as a bonfire attended by a few friends in the early 1980s and became an official event in 1986. Ultimately, it became a week-long camping excursion in the Black Rock Desert, with a makeshift city erected every year named Black Rock City to honor the festival. Organizers emphasized inclusion, self-reliance, and building community. Festivalgoers often camp in tents or RVs and are encouraged to bring all needed supplies with them. Throughout the festival, attendees participate in forms of self-expression and enjoy art and music. The festival ends with the burning of a huge wooden effigy known as The Man.
This year’s Burning Man started on August 27 and ended on Labor Day, September 4, with around 72,000 people in attendance. Performances by DJ Diplo, various other DJs and musicians, and artwork by numerous artists entertained festivalgoers. While social media showed thousands of people getting lit throughout the festival, things soon took a turn for the worse.
Bad Weather At Burning Man
Unfortunately, Burning Man 2023 was hit hard and fast by unexpectedly bad weather. CNN reported that the area received almost one inch of rain between Friday and Saturday morning, equal to two or three months of rain. As a result, massive flooding took place, which turned the desert into a muddy, mucky mess. Consequently, roads weren’t passable for vehicles to get in and out of the city. On top of that, howling winds reached up to 40 mph, further making the situation dire.
Due to the weather, Burning Man organizers closed all roads in the area on Friday night. By Saturday, organizers issued shelter-in-place orders to keep festivalgoers safe. Because of this, attendees had to conserve food, water, fuel, and other supplies. The bad weather continued into Sunday, making the roads even worse.
A Crappy Situation
There are a lot of things to be grateful for today. One of those things is that you’re not at Burning Man. pic.twitter.com/YeqzzRxAxR
If bad weather and sheltering in place with thousands of strangers weren’t bad enough, things got even worse. Since nobody could come in and out of the camps, the mobile restrooms couldn’t be emptied or cleaned. In a since-deleted Instagram story that’s gone around social media, Chris Rock, who was in attendance, spoke on the situation. “From what I understand, because of the flooding, the port-o-potties reportedly can’t be emptied.” Maybe that’s why Burning Man organizers encourage people to bring their own “poop buckets.”
In addition to the ongoing chaos, reports surfaced of a death at the festival. According to SFGATE, 32-year-old Leon Reece passed away on Friday night. The sheriff’s office received a report that Reece was unresponsive, and medics performed CPR. However, it was too late, and he was pronounced dead. While authorities are saying it doesn’t appear that Reece’s death was weather-related, a cause is pending until the autopsy results come in.
Since the roads were impassable, everybody in attendance was stuck at the campground. Organizers warned attendees not to attempt to leave because it could be dangerous with foot-deep mud. Only emergency vehicles were permitted in and out for a while, but even they had a tough time in the muddy conditions. Campers and RVs that attempted to drive out were stuck with no way to free them. Further, not only could vehicles not maneuver, but concertgoers were advised not to try to walk. However, everybody didn’t listen to the advice, including a couple of famous folks.
Chris Rock & Diplo Escape Burning Man
just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up pic.twitter.com/0uxSXLHgY6
Apparently, Chris Rock and Diplo had enough of Burning Man and decided to dip. The two went against advice and walked about five miles through the deep, alkaline mud. Diplo wrote on social media, “I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out.” A fan picked the two up, and they rode in the back of a pickup truck. Moreover, Chris and Diplo weren’t the only ones who wanted out. There were numerous reports of people taking their chances walking and hitchhiking. Sometimes, you just have to depend on the kindness of strangers.
The Latest At Burning Man
Napoleon’s Retreat from Nevada is the most powerful #BurningMan installation yet. I love the juxtaposition of traffic jam and empty space, individualism and driving nose-to-ass, self-absorption and the rest of us giving no f*cks. Perfection. https://t.co/xX2VQRczC1
Conditions improved by Monday, September 4, and people could finally get out. Organizers posted on the Burning Man website, “As of 2:00pm, Exodus operations have officially begun in Black Rock City. The driving ban has been lifted.” However, according to the Burning Man X account, there were wait times of more than seven hours to exit.
Due to the weather and chaos, the traditional burning of the effigy took place Monday night instead of Sunday and was still viewed by thousands. The mass exodus began on Tuesday, with most festivalgoers leaving the Black Rock Desert behind. Right now, there are miles and miles of vehicles with reported wait times of around two hours. At this point, everybody is probably just thankful to get out of the desert in one piece.
Over the weekend more than 70,000 people were stuck in the desert at the annual Burning Man festival after torrential rains turned the desert into a giant mud pit. Comedian Chris Rock and DJ Diplo were rescued after walking five miles until they got picked up by a fan.
Thunderstorms left festival attendees stranded in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert on Saturday, the DJ was determined to show up to his Washington, D.C. show that evening — and a stranger came to both of their rescues.
“A fan offered Chris Rock and I a ride out of Burning Man in the back of a pickup,” the 44-year-old, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, captioned an Instagram video of their escape.
“I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz I have a show in dc tonight and didnt want to let yall down,” he wrote, joking that all Rock, 58, “could think about was a f—king cold brew.”
Diplo concluded, “Shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment.”
The group hitched a ride with “hippies with a van in the next town” and “negotiat[ed] a deal to give [them] a two-hour ride to the airport.”
“They didn’t believe we would walk six miles in the mud. No one believed we would get to DC for the show tonight,” he captioned a mud-stained selfie. “But God did.
Diplo wrote on his Instagram:
I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz i have a show in dc tonight and didnt want to let yall down. Also shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment
just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up pic.twitter.com/0uxSXLHgY6
Burning Man Festival descends into chaos as one person DIES at flooded festival after officials closed gates, ‘trapping’ 73,000 revelers in hypothermic conditions – and told them to conserve water and food. #fyp#burningman#nevada#festivalpic.twitter.com/7AOsDtlMwE
When first purchasing tickets to famed music festivals around the globe, patrons don’t anticipate getting injured, or worse, losing their lives. Still, it’s unfortunately become a trend in recent years to see tragedies unfold amid large gatherings. Obviously, the worst we’ve seen would be Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld crowd-crush. However, TMZ reports that one person died at the 2023 Burning Man event after heavy rainfall turned the desert into practically pure mud.
According to the outlet, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed an ongoing investigation. Few details are being released at this time, but it’s possible that the person’s death was related to the downpour. On Saturday (September 2), Burning Man attendees were urged to shelter in place amid the hectic weather. Things were so bad that many had become immobilized. Mother Nature’s mood isn’t expected to improve on Sunday. The forecast is notably calling for 40 mph winds, hail, and more heavy rain.
As with most music festivals, several celebrities were in attendance at Burning Man, including Diplo and Chris Rock. Rather than follow the guidelines to shelter in place, the DJ and comedian opted instead to hike five miles through the wild in hopes of avoiding being stuck in more terrible conditions for the rest of their weekend.
In a video shared on Diplo’s social media page, he and the Madagascar voice actor ride in the backseat of a truck with a group of strangers. It seems their celebrity status worked to its advantage. Fans spotted Rock and his pal and happily let them catch a ride back to civilization. Only emergency vehicles are permitted to be driving in the area for now, so it’s unclear how long it’ll be before other patrons are able to safely exit.
If you came across Diplo and Chris Rock struggling to escape the Burning Man Festival desert, would you stop to pick them up? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more music/pop culture news updates.
(@TyHankMan2023)