Chris Rock Talks Race Relations, Comedy And More

By Carla Murphy Dec 01, 2014

Ahead of the December 12th opening of his new movie, "Top Five," comedian Chris Rock sat for a long interview with New York magazine’s Frank Rich. They cover a bit of everything from Rock’s comedic influences to working around his daughters’ school year. As usual, Rock’s at his best when dissecting race in America:

When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they’re not as crazy. To say that black people have made progress would be to say they deserve what happened to them before….

So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president. That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There’s been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years. If you saw Tina Turner and Ike having a lovely breakfast over there, would you say their relationship’s improved? Some people would. But a smart person would go, "Oh, he stopped punching her in the face." It’s not up to her. Ike and Tina Turner’s relationship has nothing to do with Tina Turner. Nothing. It just doesn’t. …

It’s about white people adjusting to a new reality?

Owning their actions. Not even their actions. The actions of your dad. Yeah, it’s unfair that you can get judged by something you didn’t do, but it’s also unfair that you can inherit money that you didn’t work for.

Check out the "Top Five" trailer above and read the rest of Rock’s interview in New York magazine.