Chris Rock made a difficult decision years ago, and he continues to stand by it, even if it comes across as heartless.
In a recently released The New York Times “The Interview” segment, the comedian revealed that Roger Logan, a man he grew up with, spent 19 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Rock also admitted that he never spent a dollar on Logan’s legal defense.
“A guy named Roger Logan, who I grew up with, he’s one of my best friend’s brothers, went to jail for 19 years for a murder he didn’t [commit],” Rock said.
Logan’s brother, who was one of Rock’s closest friends, repeatedly approached him about the situation. Rock said the requests kept coming, but his response remained the same.
“His brother used to plead with me to pay for a lawyer for Roger and I never did it,” he said. “I always had like a no lawyer thing because a lawyer is like an open-ended thing. Like I’ll pay your mortgage. I’ll put whatever.”
Rock went on to explain that his personal policy about covering legal fees has continued to weigh on him over the years. “I always stay out of lawyers because it’s so open-ended and it still messes with me. I had the means to help him and I didn’t. I don’t know if we could have got him out or not.”
Rock shared the story while making a broader point during the same conversation, which also touched on cancel culture. “So all that to say is I’m black. Black men get accused of things they didn’t do all the time,” he said, adding that “white people believe every accusation is a conviction.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Rock addressed being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars four years ago, making it clear that he was “good” with leaving the subject alone. “That was so long ago. I wish everyone well. I’ve moved on with my life.”
