The family of George Floyd is disappointed with Kevin Hart’s allowance of an inappropriate joke at the worst possible time.
Hart is being blamed after a white comedian turned Floyd’s death into a punchline and not everyone thought it was funny.
This month marks six years since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis on Memorial Day 2020. The caught-on-camera moment electrified the nation and still sparks outrage years later.
Hart’s supposed victory lap is being overshadowed by a controversial moment some say should have never happened.
Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart” featured a series of racial jokes from Hart’s close friends and fellow comedians. Some viewers felt many crossed the line leaning into Black steretypes or viral headlines mocking Hart’s family.
Even talks about his Katt Williams truce and Tom Brady revenge are taking a backseat.
Instead, much of the internet is focused on one controversial joke delivered by white comedian Tony Hinchcliffe — and whether Hart should have shut it down before it ever hit the stage.
Hinchcliffe joked, “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.”
The now-viral moment from Netflix’s latest roast special at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles has been labeled highly offensive and unnecessary. Cameras captured Kevin’s reaction as he went from laughing to wiping the smile off his face before cutting away.
The room gave mixed reactions, but online, the criticism came fast and loud.
A spokesperson for The Gianna and George Floyd Foundation gave a statement to TMZ about Hinchcliffe joke.
It publicly, stated, “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 Gianna and George Floyd Foundation was established by Roxane Washington on behalf of her now-12-year-old daughter with Floyd, Roxie Floyd, and the girl’s late father.
Travis Cains, the representative, reportedly called the moment “sad for the culture” while accusing Hinchcliffe of repeatedly revisiting the same painful topic for laughs.
The backlash quickly snowballed beyond the comedy world on Instagram, sparking debates among ABS readers.
“None of that was funny,” one person wrote, as another added, “What was the point of even bringing that up?”
A third viewer commented, “It makes some of us feel like keep George Floyd’s name out ya mouth, lol. I’m sorry some of us are still sensitive behind some George six years later!”
Others directed their frustration squarely at the Philly native, asking, “@kevinhart4real where is the line? People lost their jobs for just quoting Charlie Kirk but you think this is funny?”
The irony some also missed is that Hart attended a memorial for Floyd after his passing.
Viewers became equally obsessed with Hall’s reactions throughout the night. The actress, who has worked with Hart for more than 20 years across nearly 10 projects, repeatedly appeared stone-faced during several of the roast’s harsher moments.
Social media users dissected clips showing Hall barely smiling while others around her doubled over laughing. Some fans even speculated she looked irritated or uncomfortable as the jokes escalated deeper into personal territory.
Hall eventually delivered her own edgy set later in the evening, but the internet still couldn’t stop talking about her expressions.
Meanwhile, Hart attempted to brush off the criticism the next day on Instagram, praising nearly everyone involved in the special — including Hinchcliffe, whom he described as “relentless but funny.”
Hart defended the anything-goes atmosphere of the roast and insisted that people “can’t have emotions” during that type of event. That explanation did little to quiet critics already accusing the comedian of letting the night spiral too far.
“But the roast wasn’t about you! It was about a dead man who was unalived unjustly and had NOTHING to do with anything y’all had going on on stage,” one wrote.
Someone else said, “Roasts are supposed to be about public figures who sign up for the attention. George Floyd became a public figure in death—for being murdered!”
Controversy aside, the special had all the ingredients of a massive comeback moment for Hart. The comedian packed the roast with celebrity heavyweights, including Brady, Draymond Green, Chelsea Handler, Usher, Regina Hall, and surprise guest Katt Williams.
Williams’ appearance alone sent shockwaves through social media, considering the pair spent years publicly feuding.
Their tension exploded again earlier this year when Williams torched Hart during his now-legendary “Club Shay Shay” interview, accusing him of being an industry “plant” and questioning his rise in Hollywood.
So when Williams walked onto the roast stage, fans expected fireworks. Instead, the two comics shocked the crowd by seemingly ending their feud in real time.
Now, what was supposed to be remembered as the night Kevin Hart reunited with Katt Williams may instead go down as the roast where the jokes became bigger than the comedian himself.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes, is serving a 22-year sentence for murder.
