Kevin Hart was also trashed by fans since he allowed the joke at his comedy roast
The backlash to Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about George Floyd arrived almost as quickly as the punchlines.
What was billed as a no-holds-barred comedy spectacle at Netflix’s roast of Kevin Hart has now become a flashpoint in a larger debate about comedy, race, grief, and the limits of “just jokes.”
With stars like Usher, Teyana Taylor, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, and Jennifer Lopez in attendance, the event carried the sheen of a major cultural moment. Instead, much of the conversation afterward centered on one controversial joke involving George Floyd — and the fierce responses it provoked.
Usher opened the night, setting the tone for an evening built on celebrity ribbing and relentless insults. But as clips circulated online after the roast premiered, criticism mounted over whether some lines crossed from edgy comedy into something more painful.
Among the most vocal defenders of the roast format was comedian and television host Sheryl Underwood, who argued that roast comedy has never been intended for broad mainstream sensitivities.
“Specifically, true roast comedy is not for mainstream domain,” Underwood said in a statement to “The Breakfast Club.”
She framed the controversy as part of a broader cultural tension over language, identity, and political correctness in comedy.
“It’s a way for us to talk about the issues with humor and come to some common ground,” she said. “Sometimes political correctness does not fit in comedy.”
Hart himself doubled down in a video posted to social media, defending both the tone and tradition of roast culture. “That, my friends, is what the f— a roast is supposed to be,” Hart said.
The comedian described the event as intentionally aggressive entertainment — one built on shock value, not sentiment.
“It’s g-dd-man hard-hitting, relentless jokes of no consequence,” he continued. “No emotion, no f— feelings. Leave the emotions and the feelings at the front f— door.”
But for Floyd’s family, the fallout is anything but consequence-free.
In a statement to TMZ, Travis Cains, spokesperson for The Gianna and George Floyd Foundation, called Hart’s defense of the joke “sad for the culture.” The family questioned why material targeting Floyd would continue to receive a platform, especially given the long-lasting impact his death has had on his loved ones.
They pointed specifically to Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, who was 6 years old when her father died in May 2020 after an encounter with Minneapolis police officers. Now 12, they said, she continues to face bullying tied to the public mockery and online circulation of jokes about her father’s death.
“We are trying to rebuild things for our community and make things better in our community,” the family said.
Then came a final pointed rebuke aimed at the comedians involved:
“Let’s try to be a little bit more positive — and not sit up there doing colon inspections by white comedians.”
For critics and defenders alike, the controversy has become about more than a single joke. It has reopened a familiar argument in entertainment: whether comedy’s role is to push boundaries without apology — or whether some wounds remain too raw to turn into material.