Chris Rock ‘uncle-zoned’ by Rihanna - but what does it mean and is it offensive?

We've all heard of the friend zone, the problematic phrase tossed around by rejected men which implies, however inadvertently, that he's owed something by the love interest he's been pursuing.

Now Chris Rock has said there might be an even worse fate awaiting men whose flirtations are not reciprocated: "the uncle zone" - and it's no less problematic than its platonic predecessor.

Appearing on Jimmy Fallon alongside Adam Sandler, the 53-year-old was asked by the talk show host to tell “The Rihanna Story”, after which he recalls how, following his divorce, he decided he would “give it a go” with Rihanna.

However, he revealed that the 30-year-old singer showed zero interest in return.

“Rihanna is so fine if she didn’t sing her life would be exactly the same,” Rock begins, before explaining his motivations for flirting with her were rooted in his newly single status:

“I thought, ‘Hey, I’m single now. Let me give it a go’,”.

Despite his attempts, the actor’s advances went unreturned.

“She didn’t even register me as a sexual being,” he said, “she was saying ‘Where’s Ray J?’,” referring to the American rapper.

Rock went on to explain why the singer’s rejection stung:

“When a girl says she doesn’t want to have sex with you, at least she’s contemplated sex with you.

“But I was like, in the uncle zone.”

Presumably his turn-of-phrase was used hyperbolically to emphasise just how disinterested Rihanna was in him to the point where he became synonymous with a family member rather than the mere “friend” that its eponymous zone describes.

The intention might’ve been to add a bit of colour to his anecdote, however, Rock’s words have not gone down well on social media, with fans taking great offence to his implication that the only thing stopping him from approaching Rihanna before was his marriage (“Hey, I’m single now”) - not to mention the fact that she is 23 years his junior.

Then there’s his labelling of Rihanna’s disinterest as “uncle-zoning”, subsequently painting himself as a victim because the pop singer didn’t want to sleep with him.

However lighthearted his intentions might've been, his comments have sparked a debate on Twitter, with many scathing the actor for seeming ignorant to this interpretation.

“There is no such thing as an uncle-zone, brother-zone, or friend-zone,” wrote one person.

“You know what does exist? Women’s autonomy over their own bodies.”

“So there’s zones which men create for their relationships with women when they don’t want to have sex with them, or romantic relationships,” added another.

“Now there’s an 'uncle zone'. How about you respect the fact not all women want your d*** in them?”