Chris Rock: Jennifer Lawrence Salary Woes Nothing Compared to Black Actresses in Hollywood

Hollywood is going through its most racially tense time in a long time, after the Academy nominated only white people in the acting categories for the second year in a row, prompting a call for boycott. Now Chris Rock, this year's Oscars host, talks about the Hollywood gender pay gap, saying Jennifer Lawrence is still miles ahead of black actresses.

Speaking to Essence Magazine about his upcoming role as the Oscars host in the middle of such a racially tense time in Hollywood, the comedian was not afraid to speak his mind on the subject. A father of two young girls, Rock remains clear on his stance: black women in Hollywood have it worse than everybody else.

"I've never done a movie, any movie, the silliest movie, where someone, some studio person hasn't gone, 'Does the girl have to be Black?'" Rock told the magazine while saying that black women are the lowest-paid group in Tinsel Town. "Talk to Gabrielle Union. If you want to hear stories, talk to Nia Long. Talk to Kerry Washington. They would love to get to Jennifer Lawrence's place, or just be treated with the same amount of respect."

A photo posted by ESSENCE (@essencemag) on Feb 4 2016 at 7:06 PST

In late 2014, it was revealed that Lawrence, an Oscar winner working on two successful film franchises, had been paid less than her male co-stars in American Hustle. Following that, the actress secured a deal to get paid $20 million for her next film, Passengers, co-starring Chris Pratt, and later took to Lena Dunham's newsletter, Lenny, to write about her experience with the gender pay gap in Hollywood.

While Lawrence was applauded for speaking out on the subject, comedian Rock seems keen on debunking the theory that the Hunger Games actress has it worse than others. In the early days of January, Rock was interviewed for a profile The New Yorker ran on Leslie Jones, and on it he said that, if Lawrence were a black actress working in Hollywood, she'd "really have something to complain about."