Kevin Hart is making one thing crystal clear after the backlash surrounding Tony Hinchcliffe’s George Floyd joke at his Netflix roast: “I didn’t say it.”
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During a heated appearance on The Breakfast Club, Hart pushed back against criticism tied to Hinchcliffe’s controversial roast set, arguing that people are unfairly attaching his name to a joke another comedian told onstage.
“The George Floyd joke, it wasn’t a tasteful joke to our culture, to our audience,” Hart admitted. “But our audience that’s watching the roast, if you’re watching the roast, you get why they’re doing it.”
The comedian explained that roast culture has always thrived on crossing lines, even when the jokes make people uncomfortable.
“It’s Tony Hinchcliffe,” Hart said. “I don’t expect less. I don’t expect more.”
Tony Hinchcliffe made a WILD George Floyd joke while roasting Kevin Hart 💀
“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
— Killa 🌺 (@KillaKreww) May 11, 2026
Still, Hart acknowledged the joke hit differently for many viewers because of Floyd’s death and the emotional weight still attached to it. George Floyd’s family previously criticized both Hinchcliffe and Hart following the roast, especially after Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, suggested Hart should have intervened during the live production.
Hart, however, said people expecting him to stop the show in real time are misunderstanding what a roast is.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked. “You want me to take a live production and stand up and fight Tony?”
The actor also revealed he personally contacted former NBA player Stephen Jackson, one of Floyd’s closest friends, after the backlash started building online.
“Stack, hey, Tony threw one out there,” Hart recalled telling him. “But you do know that’s what this s**t is. It’s a roast.”
According to Hart, the responsibility for the joke belongs solely to Hinchcliffe, not him as the producer or host tied to the event.
“Remove me from it,” he said. “I didn’t disrespect the family.”
Hart also compared the situation to celebrities getting blamed for incidents that happen at events attached to their name, even if they had nothing to do with what actually occurred.
“That’s the nature of being the name,” he explained.
While Hart made it clear he personally would not tell jokes about violent deaths, he also doubled down on the idea that roast comedy is intentionally provocative.
“If you’re not a fan,” he said, “then don’t watch it.”
Kevin Hart admits the George Floyd joke at his roast wasn’t “tasteful” but he’s also not surprised it was made
“People are talking about the joke, talk about the set. Tony Hinchcliffe arguably had the best set or one of the best sets”
🎥: @breakfastclubam @LorenLorosa pic.twitter.com/LNqcCzFjtU
— Block Topickz (@BlockTopickz) May 26, 2026
