Kevin Hart is weighing in on the controversy surrounding Tony Hinchcliffe’s jokes during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart.
Tony, who is white, drew criticism for several jokes made during the special, with fellow roaster Chelsea Handler labeling some of the material as “racist.”
One of the most talked-about jokes referenced George Floyd, who was murdered in May 2020 by former police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin is currently serving concurrent federal and state prison sentences.
During The Roast of Kevin Hart, Tony joked, “The black community is so proud of you. Right now, George Floyd is looking up at us all, laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
Appearing on The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne tha God and Loren LoRosa on Tuesday (May 26), Kevin defended the broader context of roast comedy while acknowledging that the joke was not well received by everyone.
“It wasn’t a tasteful joke to our culture, to our audience, but our audience that’s watching the roast, if you’re watching the roast, you get why they’re doing it,” Kevin said.
“You get why the racial humor is on the table. I wasn’t shocked. Like, that’s what they do. Go look at the Tom Brady one. Like, that’s what they do. It happens every year when they do a roast. It’s not new. This isn’t a new. It’s not a new agenda. It’s not a new approach to comedy.”
When Charlamagne asked whether Tony had crossed a line with the George Floyd joke, Kevin made it clear he wasn’t surprised by the comedian’s approach.
“It’s Tony Hinchcliffe. Like, I don’t expect less, I don’t expect more,” Kevin replied.
The Ride Along star agreed with the broader idea that pushing boundaries is often the point of roast comedy, adding that it’s part of what audiences expect from the format.
Kevin also said he believed Tony delivered one of the night’s “best sets” and pointed to another controversial joke from the event, referencing comments made by Pete Davidson about Charlie Kirk.
“Like, would I tell those jokes? No. But do I get why they’re being told? Yes. Like, I’m not looking at Pete crazy. I’m not looking at Tony crazy. Like, that’s what I know what you’re going to do. I know your style of comedy.”
Chelsea Handler slammed Tony and another comedian from the Roast as “racist” and “sexist.” Find out what else she had to say here.
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