Two years later, he was asked to host the Oscars, and brought the same no-holds-barred sensibility to that gig. He used his pre-show interviews to skewer the Oscars for their whiteness and their remoteness from popular taste, and he used his on-stage time to take apart the nominees and attendees. That meant barbs for Tobey Maguire, Cuba Gooding Jr, and especially Jude Law. 

“If you want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law, wait. It’s not the same thing, okay?” riffed Rock. “Who is Jude Law? Why is he in every movie I have seen the last four years? He’s in everything. Even the movies he’s not acting in, if you look at the credits, he made cupcakes or something. He’s in everything. He’s gay. He’s straight. He’s American. He’s British. Next year, he’s playing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a movie.” 

Not everyone appreciated the joke. As he presented the best actress award, Sean Penn primly spoke up on Law’s behalf: “Forgive my lack of humour. Jude Law is one of our most talented actors.” 

And Law himself was less than delighted, as he told the New York Times: “At first I laughed, because I didn’t think he knew who I was. Then I got angry as his remarks, I felt, became more personal… As a celebrity I know I’m fair game for a lot of things that I don’t like, but Rock crossed the line.”