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88th Annual Academy Awards - Show

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty

The 2016 Oscars are underway, and host Chris Rock addressed the elephant in the room: is Hollywood racist?

Chris Rock nails opening monologue and Hollywood’s “sorority” racism.

Rock pulled no punches keeping it honest as he walked onto the stage to Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power.” Right out of the gate, he exclaimed: “If they nominated hosts, I wouldn’t get this job!”

He also addressed the Oscars boycott controversy head on: “I thought about quitting, but they’re not going to cancel the Oscars!” After joking that it’s always the unemployed telling folks to quit a job, he took a quip at a Black comedian who’s had absolutely no shortage of work: “The last thing I need is to lose another job to Kevin Hart!”

While the audience awkwardly clapped through Rock’s truth-filled humor, he didn’t mince words on the hurtful racist brutality African Americans have endured for decades. “Why are we protesting this Oscars? Because we had real things to protest at the time. “Too busy being raped and lynched to see who won Best Cinematography.” Preach.

In the standout line of his monologue, Rock gets to the question on everyone’s mind: “Is Hollywood racist? Is it burning cross racist? No. It’s a different type of racist.”  The nicest people on Earth do not hire Black people. Hollywood is sorority racist.”

In case you missed it, check out Rock’s full monologue here.