Tony Hinchcliffe at the Roast of Kevin Hart and George Floyd mural
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George Floyd’s family slams Tony Hinchcliffe for ‘racist’ joke at Kevin Hart roast

They also criticised Kevin Hart for condoning the joke

Daisy Phillipson
12th May 2026, 11:43
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The family of George Floyd has spoken out against comedian Tony Hinchcliffe after he joked about Floyd’s death during The Roast of Kevin Hart on Netflix. 

The special, which aired live on the streaming service on Sunday, May 10th, saw a host of celebrities taking to the stage and throwing comedic insults at each other. 

Some jokes have stirred up old controversies, with host Shane Gillis bringing up Chelsea Handler’s 2010 dinner with Jeffrey Epstein, and Pete Davidson calling Hinchcliffe a “nazi”. 

When it was Hinchcliffe’s turn, he turned attention to Kevin Hart and said, “You’ve done good Kevin. 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.”

Floyd was a Black man who was murdered by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020. 

After his murder, a series of protests against police brutality, especially toward Black people, quickly spread nationally and then internationally. His dying words – “I can’t breathe” – became a rallying slogan.

Hinchcliffe’s joke caused audible gasps from the audience, while also facing backlash online, with some accusing it of being racist or at the very least in poor taste. And now Floyd’s own family has addressed it. 

George Floyd’s family and friends say the Netflix roast joke crossed a line

Travis Cains, a spokesman for The Gianna and George Floyd Foundation, told TMZ that Floyd’s family and friends are appalled by the fact that Hinchcliffe was invited back for another Netflix roast. 

George Floyd mural
Credit: Unsplash/Munshots

They also criticised the fact that Hart condoned the joke, saying it’s “sad for the culture.”

TMZ was told that Floyd’s family and friends feel like Hart should’ve told Hinchcliffe to avoid the topic altogether, and that they’re “disgusted” by the comic’s obsession with telling George Floyd jokes. 

They also reportedly feel Hinchcliffe is a “racist comedian” and are questioning how Hart would feel if the joke was targeted at “one of his friends” if they had died.

During The Roast of Tom Brady in 2024, Hinchcliffe told Rob Gronkowski that he “looked like the final boss in George Floyd the video game,” and he’s also made jokes about Floyd on his podcast, Kill Tony. 

Cains finished by saying, “We are trying to rebuild things for our community and make things better in our community. Let’s try to be a little bit more positive and not sit up there doing colon inspections by white comedians.”

The George and Gianna Floyd Foundation is an organisation established by Roxie Washington and her daughter, Gianna Floyd, in 2020 to honour the legacy of George Floyd by supporting community rebuilding and promoting unity. 

Film Shrine has reached out to Hinchcliffe’s representatives for comment. 

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Featured image credit: Netflix/Unsplash/Mana5280