Social media slams Netflix’s Kevin Hart
Some online users shared their reactions to jokes told about George Floyd and Charlie Kirk on Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart.”
Kevin Hart is defending the comedian with one of the most shocking jokes in his roast on Netflix.
In an interview on “The Breakfast Club,” the “Jumanji” star, 46, spoke about the backlash some of the cast members of Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart” have received for their material. In particular, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe has been criticized for a joke about how George Floyd, who was killed by former police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020, is “looking up at all of us and laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
Mr Hart said on ‘The Breakfast Club’ that Hinchcliffe’s joke about Floyd was ‘not classy’ but he was ‘not shocked’, adding that Hinchcliffe had had ‘absolutely one of the best roasts, or one of the best’.
“Tony joked,” he said. “It wasn’t a joke in good taste for us. We didn’t like it. OK…we move on. I don’t understand why we’re over the hill and it’s such a big deal… It doesn’t have to be that way. Literally, either you’re a fan of this level of content or you’re not. And if you’re not a fan, don’t watch it.”
Pointing to other shocking jokes at the roast, including Pete Davidson’s joke about killing Charlie Kirk, Hart said, “Would you tell that joke? No. But do you know why it’s said? Yeah. I don’t look at Pete as crazy. I don’t look at Tony as crazy. I know what you’re trying to do. I know your style of comedy.”
George Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd previously told “The Breakfast Club” host Lauren LoRosa that Hart should have pushed back on Hinchcliffe’s jokes “on the spot” and brought “a Will Smith energy” to the roast.
However, Hart defended himself in an interview on The Breakfast Club, saying there was “nothing” that could be done at this time. He also stressed that he was not the one who made the joke and that he should not be blamed.
“This is a live production,” Hart said. “I’m not going to compromise my live production for the sake of any reaction. What do you want me to do? Are you going to drag him out? Do you want us to fight after that? That’s not what I agreed to.”
Shane Gillis, host of Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart,” also drew criticism for some of his material, including jokes about lynching and comedian Sheryl Underwood’s husband’s death. Underwood was in the lineup for the roast.
Another roast attendee, Chelsea Handler, criticized the “terrible” and “offensive” jokes made at the event during an appearance on the podcast Funny Knowing You. She particularly criticized Gillis and Hinchcliffe.
“People are like, ‘This is a roast. Good luck,'” she says. “It’s like, ‘You can do it without making me feel bad.'”
Nikki Glazer, who has cracked many shocking jokes at comedy roasts over the years but did not attend Hart’s event, echoed similar sentiments. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the American Music Awards, Glaser said he “loved watching” the roast, but without naming names, “there were some things I didn’t like.”
“I don’t think racist jokes, ironically racist jokes, should be made,” she told ET. “The problem isn’t that it’s racist. It’s… if you really want to do a joke, you have to find a way to make it meaningful.”
