Chris Rock's younger brother has weighed in on his Oscars controversy.
The comedian has been at the center of a global media storm ever since the 94th Academy Awards last month when he poked fun at Jada Pinkett Smith - and was slapped on stage by her husband Will Smith moments later.
Rock's altercation with Smith was broadcast live around the world and has - unsurprisingly - become the focus of a heated online debate. The joke that started it all was a reference to Pinkett Smith's closely shaved head, which Rock suggested might make her a good fit for the next G.I. Jane movie.
"Jada, I love ya! GI Jane 2, can't wait to see it," he teased, alluding to the 1997 movie in which actress Demi Moore shaves her head.
Pinkett Smith has hair loss disorder alopecia and did not take the joke well. She could be seen rolling her eyes in the audience. Then, seconds later, her husband took matters into his own hands by marching on stage to hit Rock.
While Smith has been roundly condemned for his outburst, there are many who have also criticized Rock for supposedly making light of alopecia and the struggle those with the condition face.
However, the comedian's younger brother Kenny has defended the gag, claiming Rock did not know about Pinkett Smith's condition and would not have made the joke if he did.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times Kenny, 42, said: "The joke was funny. It wasn't hilarious funny, but I know that if he knew that she had alopecia ... he wouldn't make a joke about that. But he didn't know."
He went on to say that it is difficult for him to watch videos of the slap, hitting out at Smith. "You just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show," he said.
The King Richard star failed to address Rock when - less than half an hour after their altercation - he was back on stage accepting the Best Actor Oscar. At the time, he apologized to the Academy and his fellow winners - but not to Rock. Since then, he has issued a public apology to the comedian. But for Kenny, this was too little too late.
"No, I don't accept it because I don't think it was genuine," he said of the apologetic statement Smith posted to his Instagram a day after the altercation. "I think his publicist and the people that work under him probably advised him to do that."
"I might have looked at it differently had he initially apologized when he got on the stage and cried and accepted the award, but he didn't, so, right there that tells me that it is something else," Kenny added.
Meanwhile, Kenny is not the only member of the Rock family who hasn't forgiven Smith. Big brother Tony Rock also slammed the actor during a comedy show last week.
