Chris Rock’s comedy special on Netflix was no laughing matter for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, royal experts claimed.
On Saturday's "Chris Rock: Selective Outrage," the comedian unloaded several jokes aimed at Meghan Markle and her royal in-laws. At one point, the 58-year-old said the former "Suits" star was doing a lot of "complaining."
"Going on Oprah, ‘I didn’t know, I had no idea how racist they were,'" Rock began, referring to the 41-year-old’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. "It's the royal family! You didn't Google these motherf-----? What the f--- is she talking about, she didn't know. It's the royal family! They're the original racists!"
Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital it wasn’t shocking that Rock punched back at Will Smith following last year’s infamous slap at the Oscars. However, he suspected that Rock’s unexpected takedown of Markle would be "a complete and shocking surprise to her."
"I revealed in my [previous] book ‘Brothers and Wives’ that… innocent musings about what Harry and Meghan's children might look like led to unfair charges of racism within the royal family," Andersen explained.
"It was vindicating to hear Chris Rock skewer the Sussexes on this issue," Andersen shared. "Of course, Meghan knew what she was getting into when she married Harry – she had to have known – and the press has pointed this out for months. But for Meghan to hear the iconic, supercool Chris Rock say it – well, it has to be a real punch in the gut. At the same time, the royal family can hardly be thrilled that Rock lambasted them as imperialists and the founders of modern racism."
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During the special, Rock joked that it was like "marrying into the Budweiser family" and saying, "they drink a lot!"
"Some of that s--- she went through was not racism," Rock said. "It was just some in-law s---. Sometimes it's just some in-law s---. Because she's complaining like, what the f--- is she talking about? ‘Oprah they’re so racist, they wanted to know how brown the baby was going to be.’"
Rock said, "that's not racist," because "even Black people want to know how brown the baby is going to be."
The comedian also quipped that he understood Markle's "dilemma" as a "Black girl trying to be accepted by her White in-laws." Rock joked that it was not "as hard as a White girl trying to be accepted by her Black in-laws."
"Meghan Markle, I know the dilemma," said Rock. "I’m like, ‘If you Black and you wanted to be accepted by your White in-laws then you need to marry a Kardashian because they accept everybody."
According to Andersen, the comical remarks must have been a rude awakening for the Sussexes, who reside in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito with their two young children.
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"Harry and Meghan were so warmly embraced by the celebrity world at the start, they must be gobsmacked by the sort of digs they're now getting from the likes of ‘South Park’ and Chris Rock," said Andersen. "But we have to keep in mind that these are cutting-edge folks doling out the harshest criticism and the Sussexes have made themselves ripe for parody."
" I was surprised that Chris Rock singled out Meghan – not Harry – and kept hammering away at her," Andersen continued. "Of course I expected him to go off on Will Smith. But Meghan? Not so much. I'm sure a lot of tears are being shed in Montecito – and that Harry, who has always stepped up to defend his wife, is nothing short of furious."
Kinsey Schofield, the host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, wondered if the Sussexes felt a sense of betrayal knowing that the special was distributed by the same streaming platform that launched their six-part docuseries in December.
"That has got to sting," said Schofield. "Harry and Meghan will certainly wonder why Netflix allowed the dig after giving Netflix so much access to their world. There is little they can do though... Netflix typically allows their comedians space to breathe."
"I think victimhood has been a very lucrative brand for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but there is no longevity in victimhood," she shared. "People are tired of listening to two privileged individuals complain about the mundane. That is why Chris Rock and ‘South Park’ aren't only forgiven but encouraged by their audiences at this point."
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said it shouldn’t shock the Sussexes that comics are getting fresh material from their ongoing tell-alls. Harry’s explosive memoir "Spare," detailing his struggles with royal life, hit bookstores in January.
"Harry was ill-advised to write his memoir ‘Spare,’" said Fitzwilliams. "He was very foolish to include details of how he lost his virginity, some of his experiences with drugs and a lot about penile frostbite. This naturally made him the perfect target for satire."
"… The Sussexes accused the royal family of racism and caused enormous damage by saying questions were asked by an unnamed royal about Archie’s skin color," he shared. "They changed the charge to unconscious bias nearly two years later. He also poked fun at her claim to be largely ignorant of royal matters when she met Harry. All this was phrased in his inimitable style. The Sussexes won’t be laughing, especially since polls have indicated their popularity is in free fall."
"Comedy is best when it is a critical assessment of current events," chimed royal expert Shannon Felton Spence. "Chris Rock is hilariously pointing out the inconsistency. Harry and Meghan should have built resiliency and humor into their public brand. To do that they would have had to take accountability, laugh at themselves, and produce something other than grievances. They have proven themselves time and again to be thin-skinned and litigious."
"… I do not think they anticipated being a public laughingstock," she pointed out. "Stand-up comedy shines a light on what people are thinking and feeling."
The special was hailed as a long-awaited counterpunch to last year's Academy Awards when Smith strode onstage and slapped Rock, who was a presenter.
On stage, Rock riffed on "wokeness," hypersensitivity and what he called "selective outrage."
"You never know who might get triggered," said Rock. "Anybody who says words hurt hasn’t been punched in the face."
While Smith, 54, has apologized and repeatedly spoken about the incident since last March, Rock has avoided all the usual platforms where celebrities often go to air their feelings. He never sat down with Oprah Winfrey and turned away the many media outlets that would have loved to land an exclusive in-depth interview.
"I’m not a victim, baby," said Rock. "You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. You will never see it. Never going to happen."
