UK morning TV show hosts Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid have labelled Chris Rock as "thoroughly unpleasant" and "the rudest man" following his latest comedy special making global headlines.
Selective Outrage was released on Netflix this week and in it, Rock lays into Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith at length for the first time since the 2022 Academy Awards.
During the ceremony, Smith infamously walked onto the stage and slapped Rock's face and yelled obscenities after a joke he took offence to.
Rock mostly kept quiet about the incident for a year before delving into it in Selective Outrage, which triggered the comments from Madeley and Reid.
Madeley said he interviewed Rock when he was doing publicity for 2005 animated film Madagascar.
"I'm not defending what happened to him, it's wrong, completely wrong," Madeley said on Good Morning Britain, reports The Daily Mail.
"But in 50 years in this game, he is the rudest man I've ever had to interview, Chris Rock. I didn't smack him though, I kept my hands to himself."
His co-host Reid agreed with him, claiming she had a similar experience during the same press tour.
"I have to say, it stands out in my memory. He was just consistently unbelievably rude. A thoroughly unpleasant piece of work," she said.
It's not the first time Madeley has complained about his Rock interview.
Speaking to the Evening Standard in 2022, Madeley said he had been close to "abandoning" the Madagascar chat.
"It was a pre-recorded interview. If it had been live, we would have abandoned it. He was the most unpleasant, rude, aggressive, unlikeable person I've ever interviewed on camera, without question," said Madeley.
"We edited around all the difficult bits and the interview that went out looked alright, but actually, his behaviour was awful. In my book, he's the most unpleasant celebrity I've ever had the misfortune to meet."
Selective Outrage is streaming now on Netflix.
