Jennifer Lawrence’s famous essay on the gender pay gap in Hollywood is still a major topic of discussion. But comedian Chris Rock said that Lawrence’s pay would be even lower if she was a black woman.
Rock made his comment in a New Yorker profile on Saturday Night Live castmember and new Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones, notes Variety.
“Black women have the hardest gig in show business,” Rock told the magazine. “You hear Jennifer Lawrence complaining about getting paid less because she’s a woman—if she was black, she’d really have something to complain about.”
Rock and Jones have been friends since the two were touring in the 1980s. While Rock went on to become a superstar, Jones is just now hitting her stride.
“Every black comedian in the country knew what I could do. But that doesn’t mean everyone else is paying attention,” Jones told the New Yorker.
In October, Lawrence published her essay on being paid much less than her American Hustle co-stars in Lena Dunham’s Lenny newsletter. Several actresses agreed with the JOY actress.
Jones stars in Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot, which features an all-female squad and co-stars Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Melissa McCarthy.