Chris Rock dishes on race, fatherhood with Gayle King
Their conversation coincides with the release of the comedian's new Netflix special
Chris Rock has opened up to CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King about politics, race, fatherhood — and what he’s dong to ensure his daughters don’t date messy men.
The comic’s conversation with the veteran journalist coincides with the release of his new Netflix special, Chris Rock Total Blackout: The Tamborine Extended Cut.
In this update to his 2018 comedy show, Rock shares never-before-seen jokes and interviews. King asked the actor/producer when did he first realize he was funny, and the 55-year-old Fargo star recalled a moment from his childhood.
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“I knew early on, when I was a kid and we were outside arguin’ about somethin’, and I was bein’ really passionate, and everybody starts laughin’, I’m like, “What’s goin’ on?” And now, you know, as I got older I learned how to harness it and do it when I want to,” Rock said.
When it comes to race relations in America, Rock noted that Black Americans have been “abused from the time we got here till about, you know, 1978, legally.”
“And there hasn’t really been an economic conversation about it, ’cause part of what happened from slavery till whatever, 1975, you know, white people got loans, and jobs, you know, were basically given welfare. Basically given, you know– a financial head start,” he added.
Elsewhere in his interview with King, Rock admits he was not a good husband to his ex-wife, Malaak Compton-Rock. The former couple were married for almost two decades before calling it quits in 2014. They share two daughters, Lola,18, and Zahra, 16.
“At the end of the day it’s like, how did you treat the person you were with? Did you treat ’em with respect? Did you– were you loyal? Were you– did you honor them? And yeah, I was not– I was not a good partner,” he explained, adding “My cheating days are so over.”
Rock then shared that he makes a point to “shower” his teen daughters in attention so they don’t one day seek it out from the wrong man, or woman.
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“I shower them in attention. Like–, ridiculous attention. So when they get attention from men– or women, you never know it’s not gonna be a big deal to them. I want my girls to be independent., let people in your life based on integrity and, you know, and character,” Rock revealed of his relationship with Lola and Zahra.
Chris Rock Total Blackout: The Tamborine Extended Cut is now streaming on Netflix.
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