Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was among the celebrities taking shots at Kevin Hart during a recent roast of the comedian on Netflix.
While the high level of profanity used by Johnson shocked many fans not used to hearing such language from the star, many others were upset by his use of the R-word.
His use of the term was not directed at Hart, his co-star in the Jumanji franchise, but at Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. He dropped the R-word twice while joking about Green’s name, as well as mocking
the NBA star for his team’s elimination from contention in the playoffs.
“Draymond is in the house. My guy! Draymond, that’s your name, right? That’s my boy!” Johnson said. “I was thinking about this, of all the cool-ass Black names you could have, that is the laziest f***ing Black name I’ve ever heard. Because all you did was put a “D” in front of Raymond. That’s f***ing r*****ed.“
The WWE legend continued: “On top of all that, your r*****ed name, your team got bounced from the playoffs. So, I’m just saying, because you’re my boy, and I love you: Maybe it’s time to retire. I’m sorry, ‘Dretire.’”
After The Roast of Kevin Hart aired live on Sunday night, backlash quickly spread online over The Rock’s use of the word.
“Dwayne Johnson using the r-word in a roast, eh? He’s off my nice guy list,“ one person posted on X (Twitter), expressing a comment sentiment with people upset about his word choice.
Another X user simply wrote: “The rock can go to hell for using the R-word.”
Along with the many people expressing disappointment, at least one person saw some irony in The Rock’s jokes.
“Dwayne is nothing but Wayne with a D too. Same r-word energy,” an X user with the handle @CoolWhip3343 wrote.
Despite the backlash, Johnson has his defenders, including comedian/actress Sheryl Underwood. Speaking to TMZ Live, Underwood said The Rock’s performance at the roast addressed his racial identity.
“What I thought was good about what The Rock did, everybody was questioning his Blackness, and he really made the connection,” Underwood said to TMZ.
As for his use of the R-word, she said the rules of political correctness don’t always apply to comedy.
“It’s a way for us to talk about the issues with humor and come to some common ground,” Underwood said. “Years ago, you couldn’t say ‘M-word’ for little people, couldn’t say ‘R-word’ for the disabled … Sometimes political correctness does not fit in comedy.”
What do you think, Cagesiders? Did The Rock go too far by using the offensive term at the roast? Let us know in the comments.
