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Up in the air. August Alsina subtly responded to Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage comedy special. The comedian targetted the musician and Jada Pinkett-Smith years broke of their relationship.
In his new Netflix special, the comedian talked about Pinkett Smith’s “entanglement” with the “No Love” singer. He mainly joked about Pinkett Smith’s husband Will Smith after the notorious Oscars Slap. “Everybody knows that had nothing to do with me. I didn’t have any entanglements,” he said, referring to the rumors between Pinkett Smith and Alsina that popped up in June 2020. “His wife was f—king her son’s friend. Now, I normally would not talk about this sh—, but for some reason, these n—s put that shit on the internet. I have no idea why two people that talented would do something that low down.”
So what was August Alsina’s reaction to Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage? Read more below to find out,
What was August Alsina’s reaction to Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage?
Image: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
What was August Alsina’s reaction to Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage? “Mr. Alsina has not seen Chris Rock’s special at all, as he’s been busy on tour,” a rep told Entertainment Tonight. Reports of Alsina enjoying the special came after The New York Post published a story where a source claimed that the musician had seen it. “August watched the Netflix special and he laughed,” a source told The Post. “He thought it was not only funny but truthful. That was the best part for him” His rep then confirmed that it was in fact “a lie.”
For her part, Pinkett Smith hasn’t issued a statement in response to Selective Outrage but sources close to her and her husband say they both want to put the attack behind them. “Jada has had no part in all of this other than being heckled,” an insider told People in an article published on March 6, 2023. “Chris is obsessed with her and that’s been going on for almost 30 years… Look where he chose to film his Netflix special. Her hometown [of Baltimore]. Obsessed.”
In June 2020, Alsina went on The Breakfast Club and claimed that he had a relationship with the Girls Trip star for years and that her husband approved of the affair. “I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation due to the transformation from their marriage to life partnership that they’ve spoken on several times,” Alsina alleged. “He gave me his blessing.”
Image: Kirill Bichutsky/Netflix © 2023
The singer also claimed that the couple’s son, Jaden Smith, introduced him to his parents in 2015, and Alsina even went on a family vacation with the Smiths in 2016. Alsina and Jada also attended the 2017 BET Awards together, which Alsina claimed was not completely platonic. “I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really deeply love and have a ton of love for her,” he said. “I devoted myself to it, I gave my full self to it—so much so to the point that I can die right now and be OK with knowing that I truly gave myself to somebody.”
He continued, “I really loved a person. I experienced that and I know what that feels like—and some people never get that in this lifetime. So, I know that I am completely blessed. And this conversation is difficult because…it would be hard for people to understand, but once it starts to affect me and my livelihood, I have to speak up about my truth.”
Pinkett Smith later confirmed the relationship on an episode of Red Table Talk in July 2020 with her husband Will Smith. “We decided that we were going to separate for a period of time and you go figure out how to make yourself happy and I’ll figure out how to make myself happy,” Smith said and added that he didn’t know if they would ever speak again. “From there, as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August,” she said, later admitting it was a “relationship.” “It had been so long since I felt good and it was really a joy to help heal somebody,” she said of her time with Alsina, saying that she wanted to “fix” people instead of fixing herself. “I think that that whole process with Aug really showed me that and taught me that,” she reflected.
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Alsina responded to the episode by posting cryptic tweets about the show. “Imagine not knowing how to mind the business that pay you. I catch all the subliminals,” Alsina wrote. “It’s always very perplexing cause I real deal be showing people genuine love. Whole time that envy eating ya lil heart.” He also criticized Keke Palmer for “covertly speaking subliminal shade” after Hustlers star tweeted about the Red Table Talk drama in a tweet she shared on July 10: “The theme is boundaries. Everybody doesn’t need to know your business, that’s not fake it’s honoring one’s privacy.” While the Nope actress never called out Jada, Will, or August directly, some interpreted the tweet as a subliminal message to the young rapper.
According to several sources, Will Smith is still reeling in from what the comedian said in his set. “Will is embarrassed and hurt by what Chris said about him and his family in his Netflix special. He didn’t watch it, but he had people tell him what Chris said,” a source told ET. “It’s everywhere when you look online and on social media, so Will and Jada have seen comments about it.”
“Will apologized to Chris and would like for Chris to let it go,” the source added. “Will has worked on himself and he is banned by the Oscars for 10 years. He feels like that’s enough and wants Chris to move on, so that he and everyone else can too. Will is also upset that Netflix was a part of this and thinks Chris insulting Jada again is below the belt. He is upset that Netflix gave Chris this platform to share these messages and thinks it’s distasteful.” Though the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor still has a lot to say since he “felt terrible for so long” about smacking Chris at the Oscars. “He’s tried unsuccessfully to make amends in the best way he could with Chris.
Throughout his set, Chris teased some jokes alluding to the slap by saying “words hurt. Anybody who says that words hurt has never been punched in the face.” He ended his set by calling Will “Suge Smith”, a reference to the currently-incarcerated Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2018 for manslaughter.
He also took a jab at Pinkett Smith directly. “She hurt him way more than he hurt me,“ Rock said. “Who’d he hit? Me, a n— he knew he could beat. That is some bitch-ass shit.” He continued, “Will Smith is significantly bigger than me. Will Smith does movies with his shirt off, you’ve never seen me do movies with my shirt off. If I’m in a movie getting open heart surgery, I’ve got on a sweater,” Chris said. “Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in a movie. You think I auditioned for that part? I played Pookie in New Jack City.” He admitted he was a fan of Will when he was opening for Run DMC, but “Now, I watch Emancipation, just to see him get whooped,” referencing where Will played slave Peter during the Emancipation Proclamation era.
Image: Penguin Press.
For more about Will Smith, read his memoir, Will. The book, which was number one on The New York Times bestseller list, takes readers through Smith’s life, from his childhood in West Philadelphia and early rap career to his rise as one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. The autobiography—which Oprah Winfrey described as “the best memoir I’ve ever read”—also explores a side of Smith’s life he’s never told before. “Will is the story of how one person mastered his own emotions, written in a way that can help everyone else do the same,” the publisher’s description of the book reads. “Few of us will know the pressure of performing on the world’s biggest stages for the highest of stakes, but we can all understand that the fuel that works for one stage of our journey might have to be changed if we want to make it all the way home.”
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