During his comedy special on Netflix, “The Roast of Kevin Hart,” comedian and Kill Tony host Tony Hinchcliffe took a direct shot at the audience, saying, “Right now, George Floyd is looking up at us all, laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
The comment drew immediate ire from the civil rights community and Floyd’s family, who said Hinchcliffe’s fixation on the tragedy was racist and “sad for culture.” Hart, who also faced criticism for not intervening, came on The Breakfast Club to defend his position on the controversy.
Kevin Hart supports and defends comic Tony Hinchcliffe after his lowbrow George Floyd joke
Kevin Hart, the episode’s guest of honor and executive producer, has received serious criticism from the community for not stopping Hinchcliffe from making the joke. Archival footage of Hart’s 2020 Minneapolis visit to George Floyd’s funeral was brought up to highlight the irony of his stance.
Hart, along with comedians Sheryl Underwood and Matt Rife, who were also present on the show, has firmly stood by Hinchcliffe and defended his creative license in the roasting format. Underwood added that an angry reaction to a roast means “mission accomplished,” while Rife publicly told critics of the set to “shut up.”
The Gianna and George Floyd Foundation, along with George’s brother Philonise “PJ” Floyd, issued a blustering rebuke on the sixth anniversary of his murder, saying they were “baffled and disgusted. ” The Floyd family added that repeated jokes about the deceased contribute to the bullying of Floyd’s 12-year-old daughter. The heat is especially on Hinchcliffe since he had made a George Floyd joke in the past as well, at the Tom Brady roast.
On May 13, prominent civil rights advocates and Minneapolis community leaders held a formal press conference, demanding that Netflix immediately edit out the racist comment or scrub the segment entirely.
Showing stiff resistance, Kevin Hart has refused to take any such action, upholding the “no-holds-barred” spirit of the roast format.
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Originally reported by Sreemanti Sengupta on Mandatory
