Back in October Jennifer Lawrence became the face of Hollywood’s gender pay inequality issue, when she penned an essay on Lena Dunham’s website titled, ‘Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?’ But in an article in the New Yorker, comedian Chris Rock has dismissed Lawrence’s grievances, claiming that if she were black then 'she’d really have something to complain about'.

Chris RockChris Rock has addressed Jennifer Lawrence’s pay-gap comments.

In Lawrence’s essay she wrote about feeling as if she had "failed as a negotiator”, when she learnt she’d been paid less than her American Hustle co-stars, saying that she had been worried about appearing spoilt or ‘difficult’.

“At the time, that seemed like a fine idea," Lawrence wrote. "Until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realised every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or ‘spoiled".

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"Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves," she continued. "If anything, I'm sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share."

In the New Yorker piece, which profiled comedian Leslie Jones, Rock addressed Lawrence’s essay commenting: “Black women have the hardest gig in show business. You hear Jennifer Lawrence complaining about getting paid less because she’s a woman—if she was black, she’d really have something to complain about.”

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The comedian was interviewed as part of the profile on Jones as he was instrumental in helping her land her big break on ‘SNL’. “I mentioned her to several managers and agents over the years. Everybody passed,” Rock explained.

“Lorne [Michaels], because he’s the best at what he does, is the one who saw it. I don’t think he’d hired a cast member her age in a long time.” Jones herself added, “Every black comedian in the country knew what I could do. But that doesn’t mean everyone else is paying attention.”