The Roast of Kevin Hart debuted on Netflix on Sunday, and as expected, the biggest names in comedy did not hold back.
The guests let the jokes and insults fly with impunity, as is customary at these events.
But the family of George Floyd believes comedian Tony Hinchcliffe went entirely too far with one of his punchlines, and now they’re calling on Hinchcliffe, Hart, and Netflix to apologize.
“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,” Hinchliffe said at one point.
For obvious reasons, the Gianna and George Floyd Foundation found the joke objectionable.
In a statement to TMZ, a spokesperson for the organization said that Tony’s joke and Kevin’s tacit approval of his fellow comic’s “racist” humor is “sad for the culture.”
While Hinchcliffe was the one who made the joke, the foundation alleges that Netflix and Hart should not have been surprised, as Tony has a history of making jokes about Floyd.
At 2024’s roast of Tom Brady, Tony joked that Brady’s former teammate Rob Gronkowski “looked like the final boss in George Floyd the video game.”
George’s daughter, Gianna Floyd, was just six years old when her father was killed.
She’s 12 now, and the foundation says that she’s been bullied relentlessly at school.
Obviously, the foundation is of the belief that jokes from Hinchcliffe and company have the capacity to cause real-world harm to someone like Gianna.
“We are trying to rebuild things for our community and make things better in our community,” the organization said in a statement.
“Let’s try to be a little bit more positive and not sit up there doing colon inspections by white comedians.”
The foundation seems to be suggesting that Tony has inserted his head up his backside. And they may have a point.
These roasts are always envelope-pushing affairs, but the fact that Hinchcliffe keeps going back to the same well for his “edgy” humor might be an indication that it might be time to get some new material.