Tony Hinchcliffe and Kevin Hart
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‘Nothing is real’: Tony Hinchcliffe claims people are lying about the Kevin Hart roast backlash

He also didn't hold back when it came to Chelsea Handler

Daisy Phillipson
27th May 2026, 10:41
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Tony Hinchcliffe has addressed the backlash to his set at Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart, claiming the media coverage surrounding the event has been misleading.

Although the Netflix live comedy special took place more than two weeks ago, it’s sparked a huge discussion in the comedy world after Hinchcliffe’s joke about George Floyd. 

“The Black community is so proud of you,” he said during his set. “Right now George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”

The line prompted criticism from Floyd’s family and civil rights activists, while fellow comedian Chelsea Handler later accused both Hinchcliffe and Shane Gillis of being “racist” and “sexist” during an appearance on Deon Cole’s Funny Knowing You podcast.

Gillis subsequently responded through his representative, telling Film Shrine: “This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalising. Good for her. We’re all rooting for her.”

Since then, Matt Rife shared his thoughts on the situation, telling people to “shut up”, while Nikki Glaser said she’s glad she sat this roast out. 

Tony Hinchcliffe hits back at critics and Chelsea Handler

Hinchcliffe addressed the situation on the latest episode of his Kill Tony podcast, where he first addressed the fact that he was “called a Nazi multiple times.”

“I guess that’s LA writers’ rooms… A lot of mentally ill liberals out there,” he said, before criticising people he claimed had “never written anything in their lives” and accusing them of simply reading from teleprompters.

The comedian went on to dismiss reports suggesting Chelsea Handler had successfully “lit him up” during the roast, insisting that “nothing is real” when it comes to modern media coverage.

“You can’t believe anything you see or read on the news anymore,” he said. “You have to actually watch the thing for yourself.”

Hinchcliffe also took aim at Handler directly, calling her “a bit of a c***” and claiming she repeatedly “came at” him during the event. 

According to Hinchcliffe, technical issues with the teleprompter during his set actually gave him more freedom to respond to her in the moment. “When Chelsea kept coming at me, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m about to f**k this b*tch up,’” he said.

He later mocked Handler’s appearance and career, joking that he “woke up looking like Chelsea Handler”.

Kevin Hart explains why he ‘wasn’t shocked’ by the joke

Kevin Hart has also since responded to the drama on the latest episode of The Breakfast Club podcast, where he said that while the joke wasn’t “tasteful”, controversial humour is part of the roast format. 

“The George Floyd joke, it wasn’t a tasteful joke to our culture, to our audience, but… if you’re watching the roast, you get why they’re doing it,” he said. 

“You get why the racial humour is on the table. I wasn’t shocked. Like, that’s what they do. Go and look at the Tom Brady one.”

When asked whether Hinchcliffe had gone “too far”, Hart replied, “It’s Tony Hinchcliffe. I don’t expect less, I don’t expect more.”

The actor said Hinchcliffe had “one of the best sets” of the night and went on to highlight Pete Davidson’s joke about Charlie Kirk. 

“Would I tell those jokes? No,” he continued. “But do I get why they’re being told? Yes.”

Hart then defended comedians’ freedom to push boundaries during live roasts, saying he didn’t understand why the situation had become such a huge controversy online.

“It literally is either you’re a fan of this level of content or you’re not,” he added. “And if you’re not a fan, then you don’t watch it.”

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Featured image credit: Netflix