The kids in Chris Rock's 'accountants' bit didn't know it would insult Asians

The 8-year-old actress in Chris Rock's "accountants" Oscars bit that was offensive to Asians says she wasn't made aware beforehand that her ethnicity would be the butt of the joke.

Estie Kung, who's appeared on Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown, was one of three kids who walked out for Rock's bit, which he ended by saying, "If anybody is upset about this joke, just tweet about it on your phone, which was also made by these kids."

Estie's mom, Laura, tells PRI that she and her daughter were told the skit would play on one from Rock's 2005 Oscar gig, in which the "accountants" were played by two black men.

"I did wonder, 'Why all Asians?'" said Laura Kung. "But I assumed there was a bigger picture, a more complex joke given all the emphasis placed on diversity at the Oscars this year."

Neither the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nor reps for Rock responded to Mashable's requests for comment Thursday.

Laura Kung knows about Hollywood's diversity problem, and actively tries to make sure that her daughter avoids roles that would use her ethnicity as a joke. She says that they were not made aware of the full premise of the joke until after she signed the contract.

"Going into every audition or job, I always try to determine the production's motivation in seeing Asian talent," she says. "Often, they are looking at all kids and her race is irrelevant. Other times, I do feel like they need to have a whole 'rainbow' of talent, which is fine, but feels more contrived."

PRI points out that a study conducted by USC reports that half of all movies, TV shows, and streaming series don't have even one Asian or Asian American onscreen, either in a speaking role or as a named character.

Estie, for the record, also indicated that she isn't familiar with Chris Rock's work with a pretty solid diss: "I've never seen Madagascar."

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