Tanya Brown isn’t pleased about finding out that Chris Rock made a joke about her late sister, Nicole Brown Simpson.
Over the weekend, the comedian reportedly told audiences at his Phoenix, Arizona, show that he had been asked to host the 2023 Academy Awards, according to the local newspaper, The Arizona Republic.
Rock, who was slapped by Will Smith during this year’s Oscars, equated hosting the awards show to returning to the scene of the crime, the outlet reported. He then reportedly referenced O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, joking it would be like asking Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant.” The night she died, Brown Simpson left a pair of glasses at the restaurant.
“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,” Brown wrote on Instagram on Tuesday, alongside a photo of the comedian as well as a photo of Simpson and Brown Simpson. “BEYOND distasteful!”
Brown continued her post by touching on the joke Rock made about Jada Pinkett Smith at the March 27 awards ceremony. While the comedian was presenting, he joked about Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Pinkett Smith has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. The “King Richard” star got upset, smacked Rock across the face and yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out your f------ mouth.”
“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,” Tanya wrote in her post. “I always thought he was funny, but he crossed the line with this one.”
Adding, “In other words, Y’all!!!! Stop using my sister, OJ and Ron part of your cricking comedy act. There are families behind this tragedy!”
Brown Simpson was killed along with her friend, waiter Ron Goldman, near her Los Angeles home in 1994. Simpson was arrested and accused of both killings. However, following a highly publicized trial, the former football player was acquitted of all charges.
In June, Brown paid tribute to her late sister in an Instagram slideshow that contained family photos.
"28 years. I miss you everyday!" she wrote.