Kevin Hart Says Accountability For George Floyd Roast Joke Belongs To Comedian Who Told It– Tony Hinchcliffe
Kevin Hart is responding directly to criticism over a George Floyd joke made during his Netflix roast, saying the joke was not tasteful but insisting that accountability belongs to the comedian who said it.
During an interview on “The Breakfast Club,” Hart addressed the fallout surrounding Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke and pushed back on the idea that he should have stopped the moment or taken responsibility for it afterward.
“It wasn’t a tasteful joke to our culture, to our audience,” Hart said. “But our audience that’s watching the roasts, if you’re watching the roasts, you get why they’re doing it.”
Hart said the format of a roast comes with offensive humor, but he made clear that he did not support the joke itself.
“F—k that joke. We move on,” Hart said. “I don’t understand why we stand on a hill and it becomes like this big thing.”
George Floyd’s Family Criticized Hart’s Response
The criticism intensified after Terrence Floyd appeared on “The Breakfast Club” and said Hart, who attended George Floyd’s funeral, should have intervened when the joke was made.
Floyd’s family and the Gianna and George Floyd Foundation also criticized Hart’s response, calling it “sad for the culture.”
Hart said he understood why the joke upset people, but argued that his role as producer did not make him responsible for every line delivered by another comedian.
He also said he personally called Stephen Jackson, one of George Floyd’s closest friends, after the roast to explain the context of the moment.
Related: ‘Sad For The Culture’: George Floyd’s Family Responds After Netflix Roast Joke
“Let me call the one person after,” Hart said. “Stack, hey, Tony threw one out there. It’s this and this, but you do know that that’s what this s—t is as a roast, but I just want you to know from my side, that man is on his own.”
Hart said Jackson told him he understood.
When asked whether he felt he needed to make a stronger public statement, Hart rejected the idea that he had to prove his concern to the public.
“I don’t f—king need to prove to people that I give a f—k,” Hart said. “If you open that door, then that’s the door that people expect.”
Hart compared the situation to a nightclub shooting at an event attached to his name. He said the headline might still connect him to the event, but that would not mean he was responsible for the violence.
“I didn’t shoot the gun,” Hart said. “Why am I arguing? Why am I doing interviews after?”
Hart Draws A Line Around His Responsibility
Hart said his responsibility was to produce the roast, not to answer for every joke another comedian chose to tell.
“Remove me from it. I didn’t say it,” Hart said. “The job at hand was to produce a successful roast, which I did. I also got the rebuttal. I also got to say s—t at the end. What are we dealing with here?”
The interview gave Hart his clearest response yet to criticism from Floyd’s family and others who believed he should have handled the moment differently. Hart acknowledged the joke was offensive to many viewers, but maintained that the responsibility belongs to Hinchcliffe, not him.
