Chris Rock’s publicist has denied widely reported claims that the host of the 2016 Oscars is planning to tackle the controversy over the lack of diversity among the nominees in his opening monologue.
Reginald Hudlin, one of the show’s producers, had told Entertainment Tonight that Rock had rewritten his routine in the light of the controversy, which has rocked the run-up to the awards for the second year running.
“Chris is hard at work. He and his writing staff locked themselves in a room,” Hudlin had told Entertainment Tonight. “As things got a little provocative and exciting, he said, ‘I’m throwing out the show I wrote and writing a new show.’”
However, in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Rock’s publicist Leslie Sloane flatly contradicted the claims. “Regarding Reggie Hudlin’s comments about Chris Rock’s Oscar hosting duties, neither he nor anyone else speaks for Chris.
“Chris has made no decisions about the content of the show. All will be revealed on February 28th. We will not comment further on this.”
Rock has been outspoken in the past about the difficulties faced by black actors and film-makers in Hollywood. Last month, responding to Jennifer Lawrence’s complaints about being underpaid compared to her male co-stars, Rock said: “If she were black, she’d really have something to complain about.”
When Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee declared that they would not attend the Oscars in protest at its failure to recognise film-makers of color, speculation mounted about whether Rock might pull out of the ceremony.
Though he has decided to stay as host, Rock now faces the additional pressure of speaking for his fellow African American film-makers while hosting an event he jokingly described as “the white BET awards”. His opening monologue is set to be one of the most scrutinised in Oscars history.
