Oscars 2016: Award host Chris Rock's ten most memorable quotes and one-liners

'Yeah I love being famous. It's almost like being white y'know?'

Having already called the Oscars “The White BET Awards” the 51-year-old comedian has never been one to shy away from issues of race, politics and relationships and is known for his razor-sharp candid sense of humour (Getty)

Over a decade ago, Chris Rock said he would only host the Oscars again if the awards ceremony confronted its lack of racial diversity.

“If there’s a lot of black people on it, I will host the show again,” he joked on the Late Show With David Letterman after hosting the Oscars back in 2005.

But more than ten years later, Rock is back to host the show for the second time.

Despite pressure to boycott the Oscars over its lack of racial diversity - not one black actor was nominated in any of the main categories this year - Rock has chosen to go ahead and address the race row head on.

Having already called the Oscars “The White BET Awards”, the 51-year-old comedian has never been one to shy away from issues of race, politics and relationships and is known for his razor-sharp candid sense of humour.

Here are some of his most memorable quotes and one-liners:

"You don’t pay taxes. They take taxes"

"Yeah, I love being famous. It’s almost like being white, y’know?"

"I used to work at McDonald’s making minimum wage. You know what that means when someone pays you minimum wage? You know what your boss was trying to say? Hey, if I could pay you less, I would, but it’s against the law."

"The only acting you ever see at the Oscars is when people act like they're not mad they lost. Nicole Kidman was smiling so wide, she should have won an Emmy at the Oscars for her great performance. I was like, “If you'd done that in the movie, you'd have won an Oscar, girl.”

"I've seen women who don't have great relationships with their dads, and it all comes down to this: You have to tell girls you love them every day."

"Ever see a list of the richest black people in the country? Oprah's on there. Cosby. Michael Jordon. Magic Johnson. Tiger Woods. Movie stars. But you can't get past number eight without running across a brother who just hit the Lotto jackpot last week."

"Black people have been qualified to be president for hundreds of years. George Washington Carver could have been president. I could go on with a list of black men that were qualified to be the president of the United States. So the Obama victory is progress for white people."

"Gun control? We need bullet control! I think every bullet should cost 5,000 dollars. Because if a bullet cost five thousand dollar, we wouldn't have any innocent bystanders."

"I live in a neighborhood so bad that you can get shot while getting shot."

"So, you can say “black people have made progress”, but to say “black people have made progress” would mean we deserved to be segregated. The reality is: white people got less crazy."