Chris Rock: Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister calls comedian’s joke about murder ‘horrible’ and ‘distasteful’

‘There are families behind this tragedy,’ she said

Chris Rock has been criticised by Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister, Tanya Brown, for joking about the murder of her sibling in relation to his altercation with Will Smith at the Oscars earlier this year.

During the Phoenix, Arizona, leg of his stand-up tour over the weekend, Rock revealed that the Academy had approached him to host the Oscars next year, an offer he declined. The Academy declined to comment when approached by The Independent.

Rock told his audience that returning to the awards ceremony would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant”.

Brown Simpson was murdered after leaving her glasses at a restaurant in 1995. Both she and 25-year-old restaurant waiter Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles.

Her ex-husband, former professional American football player OJ Simpson, was accused of both killings but later acquitted of all charges. In a civil lawsuit in 1997, he was found liable for both deaths and paid $33.5 million in damages to the Goldmans.

In an Instagram post shared after Rock’s controversial joke made headlines, Simpson’s sister Tanya Brown wrote: “Nothing is more lovely then to wake up on a Tuesday morning (not) with TMZ calling you saying Chris Rock made a horrible ‘joke’ about Nicole. BEYOND distasteful!”

Brown then called out Rock for comparing Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, to GI Jane at the Oscars – a joke that led to him being slapped on stage by Will Smith.

“Nothing funny about his joke towards Jada as she suffers from a physical condition and nothing funny about equating an Oscar host invitation to a double homicide. I always thought he was funny, but he crossed the line with this one,” she wrote.

“In other words, Y’all!!!! Stop using my sister, OJ and Ron part of your cricking comedy act. There are families behind this tragedy!”