Kevin Hart Breaks Silence on the Roast Controversy: ‘Stop Talking as If I Said It’
Kevin Hart finally addressed the backlash over Tony Hinchcliffe’s George Floyd joke at his Netflix roast — and he’s not apologizing for what was said.
- Kevin Hart broke his silence on the Tony Hinchcliffe controversy during a Breakfast Club interview
- Hinchcliffe’s roast joke referenced George Floyd, drawing significant backlash after the Netflix special aired
- Hart’s position: comedians said those things, not him, and he won’t take responsibility for their sets
- “Stop talking as if I said it” was his direct quote on the backlash
- Shane Gillis and Chelsea Handler have also traded responses in the weeks since the special aired
Two weeks after the Netflix roast, Kevin Hart is finally saying something — and what he’s saying is that this isn’t really his problem.
Hart stopped by The Breakfast Club to address the ongoing fallout from The Roast of Kevin Hart, particularly around Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke referencing George Floyd. “The Black community is so proud of you,” Hinchcliffe said during the special. “Right now, George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe.” The line drew immediate backlash when the special aired.
Hart’s response to the Hollywood Reporter was characteristically direct: “Stop talking as if I said it.” His argument is that the roast format involves comedians saying whatever they want — that’s the premise — and holding the subject of the roast accountable for every joke made about them misunderstands how the genre works.
The Broader Fallout
The controversy didn’t stay contained to Hinchcliffe. Shane Gillis — who also performed at the roast — and Chelsea Handler have since traded public responses about the special and what was or wasn’t acceptable. The back-and-forth has kept the roast in the news cycle well beyond its original airdate.
Hart has been quieter than most through all of it, which made his Breakfast Club appearance the first real statement from the man whose name is literally in the title of the special. His stance is essentially: the comedians are responsible for their own material. Whether that’s a satisfying answer depends on who’s asking.
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