Pete Davidson attracted a lot of attention with his joke about Charlie Kirk during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart, but it now seems that he knew it was going to cause a huge controversy.
Insiders have now revealed that Davidson was warned about the joke early on, but he still chose to go with it. As of now, the comedian remains at the receiving end of immense backlash. The reaction of the live audience was enough to indicate that the timing of the joke was not quite right.
Pete Davidson received warning before Charlie Kirk joke, sources suggest
Pete Davidson is facing immense backlash after he joked about Charlie Kirk during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart. It turns out now that Davidson was warned beforehand about the joke, but the comedian chose to go ahead with it anyway.
Sources have told Rob Shuter‘s Naughty But Nice that those involved with the special already thought there would be backlash if this joke were aired. “Pete was absolutely warned,” one insider said to Shuter, “People told him the Charlie Kirk material would create a firestorm. He didn’t listen.”
During the special, Davidson compared comedian Tony Hinchcliffe to Charlie Kirk, before saying, “Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk, in that he’s definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat.” There were audible gasps from the live audience when Davidson said this.
Soon, it turned into a larger backlash. “If this had aired on NBC, CBS, or ABC, the joke would have been cut instantly,” another source said, “There’s no question about it.”
Netflix did not censor the joke initially, but is now under heavy pressure to remove it from the special. “Mainstream outlets are uncomfortable even repeating the joke,” a media insider said, “That tells you how radioactive this has already become.”
A large part of Davidson‘s popularity stems from his pushing boundaries with jokes. But this one may have a deeper impact on his career than anything before. “People expect edgy from Pete,” the source added, “But this crossed into territory a lot of executives think simply isn’t funny anymore.”
Previously, Jimmy Kimmel’s show was suspended for a joke on Charlie Kirk, and it was not on the magnitude of Pete Davidson’s joke.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on Mandatory.
