Chris Rocktook a jab atJussie Smolletton Saturday, calling theEmpirestar a “waste of light skin” less than a week aftercharges against the actorwere dropped.
Rock, 54, was on hand to present an award at the NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles — and though he said he’d been told not to make mention of Smollett, the comedian went for it anyway.
“They said no Jussie Smollett jokes. I know, I know! What a waste of light skin, you know?” said Rock, drawing laughter from the crowd. “You know what I could do with that light skin? That curly hair? My career would be outta here. F—ing running Hollywood. That’s no… What the hell was he thinking?”
Earl Gibson III/Getty Images; Jerod Harris/Getty Images
“From now on, I ain’t never gonna… You Jessie from now on. You don’t even get the ‘u’ no more,” he said, again getting laughs from stars likeTrevor Noah. “That ‘u’ was respect — you ain’t getting no respect from me.”
Rock presented the award for outstanding comedy series toBlack-ish, though star Yara Shahidi, 19, had a different take, telling the crowd as she accepted the trophy, “I stand with Jussie.”
Her co-starAnthony Anderson, who also served as the night’s host, previously expressed his support for Smollett as well, tellingVarietyhe hoped to see the nominated Smollett in attendance.
Anthony Anderson, Jussie Smollett.Jesse Grant/Getty Images; Jerod Harris/Getty Images
“I hope he wins. I’m happy for him that the system worked for him in his favor because the system isn’t always fair, especially for people of color,” Anderson, 48, told the outlet. “So I’m glad it worked out for him. It’s not my place or any other person’s place to judge him or what not, but I’m glad that he’s nominated… I hope he wins because I’d be interested to hear his speech.”
Smollett was nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series forEmpire, though he did not win and did not attend the dinner where his category was presented on Friday nor the televised awards ceremony on Saturday.
Police said in a press conference following the arrest that they believed Smollettpaid $3,500to stage a “bogus” attack on himself because he was unhappy with hisEmpiresalary, though a source denied any dissatisfaction with money to PEOPLE.
RELATED VIDEO: Charges Dropped Against Jussie Smollett After He’s Accused of Staging Hate Crime
The charges against Smollett — who has maintained his innocence —were droppedTuesday.
Smollettspoke out Tuesdayshortly after the charges were dropped, insisting he has been telling the truth about the attack since the very beginning.
“I’ve been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one,” he told reporters at the Cook County courthouse in Chicago. “I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of doing what I was accused of.”
Two days later, city lawyers for Chicago issued a demand letter to Smollett on behalf of the city and its police departmentrequesting the actor pay $130,106.15to make up for overtime hours that were spent on the investigation, as they claimed he “knowingly filed a false police report.”
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In response, Smollett’s attorneys released a statement to PEOPLE saying he would not be paying the money.
“It is the Mayor and the Police Chief who owe Jussie — owe him an apology — for dragging an innocent man’s character through the mud. Jussie has paid enough,” a rep of Smollett’s defense team said.
Both Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago police superintendent Eddie T. Johnson have publicly criticized the dropping of charges against Smollett, with Emanuel calling it “an unbelievable whitewash of justice.”
source: people.com
