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The beef between Chelsea Handler and Tony Hinchcliffe that stemmed from Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart has taken an unexpected turn. According to a source, a “giddy” Handler was “flirting” with the controversial comedian before cameras began rolling.
Not only did Chelsea Handler and Tony Hinchcliffe trade pointed barbs during the actual Kevin Hart roast, but they continued exchanging unpleasantries through the media in the aftermath.
Source who was at The Roast of Kevin Hart claims that Chelsea Handler was flirting with Tony Hinchcliffe before the cameras started rolling
Before all that, however, an alleged source saw Handler flirting with Hinchcliffe backstage ahead of production and claimed that she was “absolutely giddy” around him.
“A source saw Handler, 51, flirting with Hinchcliffe, 41, backstage ahead of Kevin Hart‘s roast and claimed that she was ‘absolutely giddy’ around him,” the source told Rob Shuter‘s Naughty But Nice Substack, via In Touch. “[Chelsea was] laughing extra hard, hovering around him, touching his arm — everyone noticed it immediately.
“Tony wanted nothing romantic with Chelsea. He liked the attention, but he wasn’t interested in her that way,” a second added.
During The Roast of Kevin Hart, Handler took multiple shots at Hinchcliffe.
“Tony and Shane, this must be so exciting for you guys. Usually on Sunday nights, you just burn a cross on someone’s lawn, and tonight you get to roast a whole Black guy… If you’re here tonight, who’s keeping Joe Rogan’s balls warm in their mouth?”
“Tony is what happens when women don’t have safe access to abortion care… I didn’t know veneers came in deli mustard yellow. You must be using Crest White Supremacist Strips.”
“Tony, you have the face of a school shooter and the personality of someone who gets shot first.”
Hinchcliffe responded to Handler’s treatment of him during one of his Kill Tony shows, which sees Hinchcliffe critique other comedians who are actually willing to get on stage and put a set together..
“I got called a Nazi, gay, a racist, over and over again. I’m none of those three things. But they are fat, ugly, Black and Jewish — everything I said was real about them, just a reminder,” Hinchcliffe said.
“When Chelsea kept coming at me, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna f— this bitch up.’ It was so rough. I woke up looking like Chelsea Handler. That’s how rough my night was.”
Handler also expanded on her dislike of Hinchcliffe on Deon Cole’s podcast.
“I knew enough about Tony and Shane — they’re racists, they’re bigots, they’re sexist,” Handler said. “I don’t find those jokes funny. Lynching Black people is not a joke. It’s worse than r—.”
As for Hart, while appearing on The Breakfast Club, he praised Hinchcliffe’s set but also tried to separate himself from his George Floyd joke, essentially saying that it’s unfair he’s getting heat for it because he’s not the one who actually said it.