In Tavis Smiley's upcoming interview with Chris Rock, Chris jokes that if Tiger Woods could hooking up with Alicia Keys it would be "worth getting hit with another golf club." Why is this a punchline?
We've only seen this preview clip, and presumably this is the only domestic violence joke Chris' makes during the interview, which airs Thursday on PBS. Though we're pegging this post on him, Chris doesn't deserve to be singled out — compared to other comedians' recent comments on Tiger Woods, his joke is pretty innocuous. However, it's indicative of how little has changed since The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence called out SNL for joking about Elin Nordegren beating Tiger Woods two weeks after the scandal broke.
While the organization's objection made headlines for a day or two, ultimately it failed to change the national conversation on domestic violence one bit. Over the past few months we've heard dozens of ostensibly funny little quips about Elin attacking Tiger with a golf club (even though he insists the story isn't true) on shows ranging from South Park to The View, and no one bats and eyelash. In all likelihood it never even occurred to Chris that he was joking about a domestic-violence situation, and that's unfortunate. The Tiger-Elin fracas, whatever may have happened, was an opportunity to teach people that they should at least stop and think before laughing at a situation they'd never find funny if the genders were reversed — but clearly the message didn't get out.
Earlier: SNL Says Domestic Violence Is Hilarious — When Directed At Men
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