Jess Hilarious claims to have learned that making a joke at another person’s expense is not always worth the applause and laughter.
In a recent episode of “The Pivot” podcast, she dished on an incident where mocking the concerning appearance of the late respected actor Chadwick Boseman became the catalyst for her to consider the impact of her words. But not everyone is convinced that she has changed.
In the discussion with hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor, she explained, “I was gon’ stop doing ‘Jess with the Mess’ ‘cause all I do is riff on people… That’s my thing. And I remember Chadwick Boseman had dropped a video shortly before he passed, and I thought he was training for a movie. I thought he was, you know, some people really get into the roles that they, you know, lose weight for a role or something like that.”
The video was the “Black Panther” star’s last social media post on Jackie Robinson Day (April 15), which was removed almost immediately after being shared due to comments about his drastic weight loss. He appeared in his home while speaking about an organization that was helping to provide hospitals servicing Black and brown communities with personal protective equipment like masks and gowns during the early months of the pandemic.
“He was telling people to stay inside… I said you need to stay inside or something like that… Of course, I didn’t know anything about his cancer or anything like that… I riffed on him, and everybody thought it was funny and cool, even myself until he passed,” said “The Breakfast Club” co-host.
At the time of the post, Boseman was at the end of a private four-year battle with colon cancer. His diagnosis was disclosed when he passed away at the age of 43 on August 28 of that year. News of the tragedy, which occurred four months after the “Jess with the Mess” jokes, shook the “Carefully Reckless” podcaster at the time.
Jess Hilarious has decided to retire her Jess with the Mess reports after she was reminded of her comments towards Chadwick Boseman where she made fun of his weight loss. She states, “I’m tired of talking about people.” pic.twitter.com/xmAriGEKgf
— Just Ask Kai (@justaskkai) August 30, 2020
“How I looked at myself was crazy… I was like, alright, I gotta change the way I move. For a minute, I didn’t want to do ‘Jess with the Mess’ no more because you don’t know what the hell people going through, you don’t know when you come at somebody’s appearance… I just looked at him as a great actor, so I’m like this n—gas really gettin into whatever role…and that wasn’t the case that time,” she stated.
“That wasn’t the case this time and it took me a minute to bounce back from that. I was struggling with my own thing, and then I went online and seen how I was receiving hate, and I was canceled, and everything like that. I was like, I deserve all of that.”
Towards the end of her remarks, Jess acknowledged how “unproblematic” Boseman was and how fans never heard stories of him involved in industry feuds or offending others. “He just did his thing. … He passed, left a great legacy, and that’s the only thing that I regret” regarding jokes about appearance that she carries.
“Chadwick didn’t even tell Marvel about his situation. Jess shouldn’t take that to hard. Stuff like that bound to happen in comedy,” wrote a fan in response to her disclosure. Many others said her attempt at accountability fell short because she continues to be “problematic” by making a mockery of how people look.
Charlamagne says Ressa Tessa from the ‘Who Did I Marry?’ storytime has big back behavior:
— Episodes (@episodesent) February 26, 2024
“Some of you big backs, y’all gotta stop being so thirsty for a man.” pic.twitter.com/ZjADUYCGci
“I never liked her. She’s always talking about somebody’s appearance .She’s not sorry at all & she’ll do it again next week,” wrote another individual. A second critic shared, “She was JUST on breakfast club referring to someone else as a wide back ……she’s learned nothing.”
Elsewhere in the chat, she touched on how comedians have always made jokes about appearances, calling it crazy that people were offended by her and Charlamagne Tha God’s discussion about viral TikToker Reesa Teesa. During the Feb. 23 radio show, Jess rehashed the metro Atlanta woman’s “Who TF Did I Marry?” series about marrying a man who lied about his identity, job, and life story.
“I’mma be honest with you, I hear a lot of big back behavior. Did she have a big back?” asked Charlamagne. “She do give Sheila that was driving up the mountain,” said Jess, comparing Reesa to Jill Scott’s character in “Why Did I Get Married?” She noted that the comparison had nothing to do with the creator’s face, saying instead that she was “cool” and “a pretty girl.”
On “The Pivot,” the Baltimore native said part of the outrage was a byproduct of everyone, meaning online commenters, having a voice and wanting to be heard. She quipped, “People, you know, sensitive is like the new trend in, like, ‘Oh my like why…I’m fat.’ All right, get in the gym… ‘I’m skinny.’ Eat!… Why is offended the new trend?”
Ahead of Reesa appearing on “The Tamron Hall Show” on March 4 to discuss the story that took the internet by storm, Charlamagne apologized for “disturbing her peace” with his big back remarks.
