Chris Rock says he was sexually assaulted by bullies and every day of childhood was 'hell'

The Academy Awards on Sunday left the world in shock, after Will Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face.

Since then, a past interview with Howard Stern on Sirius XM that reveals Rock's traumatic childhood has resurfaced online, where he speaks at length about being bullied and sexually assaulted as a child.

Rock explained the pain he endured as “just a horrible existence” and said that "every day was hell” as he was targeted at his predominantly-white school.

The actor further shared: “I suffer from big ego, low self-esteem. And when I say ‘big ego’ it’s only about telling jokes. If it’s got something to do with my work I’m the baddest motherfucker alive, but anything else is like I just feel not worthy of anyone’s attention, anyone’s love, any accolades, anything.”

As for his childhood trauma, he added: “I think I’ve dealt with it because I can write jokes about it but I never dealt with it. It was just a horrible existence. The closest character I can relate to is Tim Robbins in The Shawshank [Redemption], every day was hell.”

“I was a n**** and I got my fucking ass beat and I got physically fucked up and sometimes some sexual shit happened,” he added. “I wasn’t raped, but rape-ish.”

The Oscars incident unfolded when Rock made a joke about Will's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, being bald. Referencing her lack of hair, he said: “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it.”

Jada, who has been open about her struggle with having alopecia, did not find the joke funny, however, and Will took matters into his own hands when he saw how disrespected she felt.

He then walked up on stage and well, the rest is literally pop culture history.

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On Monday, Will issued an apology for his behavior, where he said that “violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive.” He added that what he did was “unacceptable and inexcusable” before saying “a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”

Will then addressed Chris: “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

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