Kevin Hart is facing backlash following Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart.”
The backlash stems from a joke regarding the death of George Floyd told by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. While the event was intended to be a celebratory roast of the veteran actor and stand-up star, many viewers were left outraged by the material delivered by Hinchcliffe.
During the special, Hinchcliffe told a joke referencing Floyd, stating that he was “looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
Hinchcliffe is no stranger to political and social controversy. The comedian recently drew significant national attention for a set performed at Madison Square Garden during Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Social Justice Leader Tamika Mallory voiced her opinion via Instagram stating, “there is literally NOTHING funny about how George Floyd was m*rdered. Allowing that white man or any other man to stand up there and disrespect US, while laughing, is disgusting. Part of the reason Black folks continue to face SEVERE attacks against our rights, is because some of us think everything is shits and giggles. It wasnt funny AT ALL.”
There were widespread mixed reactions online to the George Floyd joke. One Instagram user wrote, “Comedy is comedy. I can laugh at jokes and still stand on business when it comes to real life. I’ve joked about different groups of people before, but I’m not out here trying to take away anyone’s rights or wishing for their downfall. When it gets to that point, that’s when I stand on business. Whether Black people laughed or not, jokes like these are still going to be made — we can’t change that. What we can do is continue to stand firm when real issues happen. I will say the George Floyd joke didn’t really land for me, maybe because I’m more sensitive about it. But people were also making jokes about Pete Davidson’s father dying in 9/11, and while that’s definitely insensitive, some of those jokes were actually funny.”
Kevin Hart speaks:
Kevin Hart seemingly responded to the backlash by sharing a video on Instagram, stating, “that, my friend, is what the f*ck a roast is supposed to be — hard-hitting, relentless jokes.”
Leave a Reply