Chris Rock: Which trait in yourself do you like least?

The question

Which trait in yourself do you like least?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's The Q&A has retained this Proust-derived prompt from at least 2007 through 2026, and ABC independently put it to the Obamas in 2011.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Chris Rock

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

I have a child-like fear of being late. I’m a grown man, and I’m scared I’m going to the principal’s office.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2016 source ↗

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John Lewis U.S. Representative from Georgia, 1987–2020; Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 1963–1966

My tendency to skip meals.

Recorded Vanity Fair, Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 6 December 2019 source ↗

Garrison Keillor

Self-denigration, an old strategy for extorting praise from people. (“I am a terrible person.” “No, you’re a wonderful person and we all love you.”)

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, September 2009 source ↗

Pauline Black

I’m argumentative.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 12 April 2025 source ↗

Carly Simon

Forgetting. Or, worse yet, not recognizing who my real friends are.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2010 source ↗

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Question What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy? Time & hindsight

August 16, 1985. My dad took me and my brothers Andre and Tony to see the Fresh Fest at the Nassau Coliseum, on Long Island. We saw Whodini, the Fat Boys, and Grandmaster Flash. Greatest day of my life. The births of my children were big days, too, but billions of people have children—only 15,000 people saw that show.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2016 source ↗

Question What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? Identity & self

Just a lazy day roaming New York with my daughters—La Esquina for lunch and Mister Softee for dessert.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 29 January 2016 source ↗

Question Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? Values & belief

Barack Obama—just the balls to think he could be president is gangster. People forget that, when he first announced he was running, most black people were for Hillary Clinton. The only person that was laughed at more for a crazy idea was Noah.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2016 source ↗

Question What trait do you most dislike in other people? Values & belief

I hate rich people that feel a need to tell you how hard they had it (“We had the smallest pool on the block”). And I hate poor people that feel a need to puff up their bios so they can better fit in with the rich—you meet a lot of Talented Mr. Ripleys in showbiz.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2016 source ↗

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