Comedy roasts push edgy humor to the limit, but jokes about real trauma often trigger immediate backlash.
That’s exactly what happened after Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart” turned into an online firestorm.
Critics accused some comedians of going too far.
Marlon and Shawn Wayans are weighing in on the controversy that they both want to avoid.
During a recent conversation about comedy and cancel culture, the brothers reflected on the backlash surrounding Kevin Hart’s roast.
“Trying to find the right joke — there’s going to be war, there’s going to be casualties, and unfortunately, some of the jokes didn’t land the way that they possibly could have,” Marlon said in a video on The Neighborhood Talk.
He added that there are “the consequences and the quietness of the laugh.”
Shawn jumped in with an even stronger warning about the state of comedy. “We can’t have controversy every time somebody tells a joke. Every time someone tells a joke, we killing our own culture. It’s not good.”
Marlon explained that comedians — especially Black comedians — often wrestle with two competing realities when they step onstage.
Marlon and Shawn Wayans react to the Kevin Hart roast and Tony Hinchcliffe’s George Floyd joke, saying it wasn’t funny enough to justify making it, but that comedians still shouldn’t be canceled over comedy 😳👀
— Killa 🌺 (@KillaKreww) May 19, 2026
“If you find the right joke and George Floyd family laugh, you did… pic.twitter.com/mQSwSLSncj
“We are … there’s a two-part, you know — one part comedian, one part Black man,” he said. “So, you know, the other part of it is, if you’re gonna go there, make sure that joke is really worth it.”
The “White Chicks” star admitted that they have removed material from their own upcoming “Scary Movie” film.
Some jokes crossed a line that hurt the mood more than they helped the comedy.
“There’s things in the movie that we decided not to put in because it was like, you know, we felt like it hurt the temperature of the movie,” Marlon explained. “We’re trying to do a movie to make everybody feel good.”
He added, “If it’s going to make people go, ‘Ha,’ then ‘Ohhh,’ it stays with you. I don’t want that. I want it infectious, and then next joke.”
Marlon and Shawn defended comedy as a space that should still allow risk-taking.
But Marlon admitted not every joke is worth the backlash that follows.
He explained that the George Floyd joke simply “wasn’t funny enough” to justify touching such a painful subject.
He said the real test is whether the people most affected could actually laugh at it. “If George Floyd’s family laugh, then maybe you found the right joke,” Marlon said. “If not, then it’s probably not the right joke.”
He reminded audiences that behind the headlines and viral moments is real grief.
“You’ve got to remember a mother lost her son.”
Marlon even took a playful jab at Kevin Hart himself over the roast controversy.
“And Kevin, stop doing dumb s—t because I gotta walk this line,” he joked. “Instead of talking about ‘Scary Movie,’ I got to talk about your dumba– little roast.”
The comments come as Hart continues dealing with fallout from Netflix’s roast special filmed at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. What was supposed to be a celebration of Hart’s career quickly spiraled into controversy after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a joke referencing George Floyd.
“The Black community is so proud of you,” Hinchcliffe said during the roast. “Right now George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
Tony Hinchcliffe made a WILD George Floyd joke while roasting Kevin Hart 💀
— Killa 🌺 (@KillaKreww) May 11, 2026
“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.” pic.twitter.com/33T2anzhja
The line immediately sparked outrage online.
This month marks six years since Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in 2020.
The moment ignited global protests and renewed conversations about race and policing in America.
Cameras caught Hart initially laughing before his facial expression noticeably changed. But the crowd delivered mixed reactions.
The backlash only intensified after a spokesperson for The Gianna and George Floyd Foundation issued a statement condemning the joke.
“We are trying to rebuild things for our community and make things better in our community,” the organization told TMZ. “Let’s try to be a little bit more positive — and not sit up there doing colon inspections by white comedians.”
The foundation, established by Roxane Washington on behalf of Floyd’s daughter Roxie Floyd, reportedly called the moment “sad for the culture.” Floyd’s brother, Terrance, also spoke against the joke.
Social media users on Threads were equally vocal on Marlon and Shawn’s stance on the roast.
“Bruhhh Marlon is hilarious, but I agree. Some of the jokes could have been funny, but the comedians just sucked. Lol,” one person wrote.
Another noted, “Ion give AF. We don’t joke about George Floyd, or any other Black person being killed at the hands of a MF [white man]. TF. And the shit was told by a fellow [white man]. Comedy my a–, BOUNDARIES need to exist EVERYWHERE.”
Other users got distracted by Shawn’s appearance instead of the conversation itself, writing, “Shawn look like a blind man.” Another commented, “Shawn sound just like Damon,” referencing their older brother.
Someone took it even further. “I thought Shawn was little Stevie Wonder for a second,” another joked, bringing Stevie Wonder into the trending discussion.
Not everyone defended the Wayans brothers either. Some people drew a hard line about what should never become comedy material: “Lynching jokes will never be funny.”
Now, what was meant to be a triumphant cultural moment for Hart has become a much bigger debate.
Now it’s about comedy, race, and whether shock value is worth the fallout.
