In 2012, when beloved television anchor Robin Roberts announced that she was dealing with yet another bout of cancer, fans everywhere were crushed. Roberts, who had overcome breast cancer in 2008, shared with the world that she had been diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disease called myelodysplastic syndrome. In October 2012, Roberts took a leave of absent from her seat on ABC’s Good Morning America, and doctors told her that her chances of survival would be extremely slim if she did not received a bone marrow transplant immediately. Fortunately for Roberts, her older sister and fellow anchorwoman, Sally-Ann Roberts was a perfect match, allowing Roberts to receive a transplant and return to Good Morning America in February 2013.
Since her return to the show, Roberts remained one of morning TV’s most well-liked anchors, and has often been commended for her courage and positive attitude, two things she has maintained throughout the entirety of her career. Because Roberts is so well-liked and reserved, it came as a shock to viewers everywhere when comedian Chris Rock decided to make her and her illness the butt of a tasteless joke.
During his appearance on The Today Show, Good Morning America’s biggest competitor, Rock sat down with host Matt Lauer to congratulate him on scoring an interview with Janay Rice, who has been mostly silent since a domestic violence incident with her husband earlier this year. Instead of congratulating Lauer appropriately, Rock said: “You’ve got Ray Rice’s wife on, man. You’ll show Good Morning America. We got the wife on! … We’ll show you, Robin Roberts! Matt Lauer is going to get sick next — watch!” Almost everyone, including Lauer, instantly became uncomfortable by Rock’s comment and it was clear that he had taken things a little too far. Since the incident, Internet users everywhere have been commenting on Rock’s poor taste in jokes. Watch the video below and comment your opinion on Chris Rock’s Robin Roberts cancer joke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv4Uh9Srpqw
(Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)
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