Chris Rock slams Jussie Smollett at NAACP Image Awards

Actor-comedian Chris Rock took a barb at "Empire" star Jussie Smollett at the NAACP Image Awards ceremony despite being advised to steer clear of the issue.

Smollett is at the centre of a controversy after it was claimed by the police that he staged a hate crime against himself. The charges against him, which included one relating to filing a false report, were dropped recently.

During the award ceremony, Rock, who was on stage to present the award for Outstanding Comedy Series, revealed that he was told by the organisers to stay away from cracking "Jussie Smollett jokes", reported Variety.

"What a waste of light skin. You know what I could do with that light skin? That curly hair? My career would be out of here. I'd be f***ing running Hollywood.

"What the hell was he thinking? From now on, you're Jessie from now on. You don't even get the 'U' no more. That U' was respect. You don't get no respect from me," the actor said.

Smollett, who was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance on "Empire", did not attend the award ceremony. He lost to Jesse Williams for his work on "Grey's Anatomy".