Netflix
Kevin Hart has broken his silence about the most controversial moment from his Netflix roast, a joke that Tony Hinchcliffe made about George Floyd being in hell. Hart did not apologize and stood by the divisive comedian.
In a video posted to his Instagram, Kevin Hart praised Tony Hinchcliffe’s set as “relentless as he always is, but funny” and declared that the comedian “understood the assignment.”
“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,” Hinchcliffe said during the roast.
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
Kevin Hart defended Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial joke about George Floyd being in hell during his Netflix roast
The bite-sized actor and comedian defended the anything-goes nature of roast comedy, saying participants must “leave the emotions and the feelings at the door” because audiences desire an element of shock during roast sets. Hart, however, did not specifically address the response of George Floyd’s family, who said in a statement that Hart “condoning Tony’s joke is sad for the culture.”
Hinchcliffe himself has not issued any public statement addressing the backlash. In the aftermath, a petition calling for Netflix to donate the proceeds of the roast to the Floyd Family Center for Social Equity cleared over 10,000 signatures.
George Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club that Hart should have stopped the joke the moment it left Hinchcliffe’s mouth — citing the 2022 Academy Awards where Will Smith infamous stormed the stage over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith and slapped Chris Rock — and described the joke as “tasteless.”
Terrence Floyd added that it deeply hurt the family, especially George’s daughter Gianna, and noted that Hart had attended George Floyd’s funeral, which made his silence during the joke feel like a betrayal.
Hinchcliffe has made jokes about Floyd before, most notably during Netflix’s The Roast of Tom Brady, when he said that future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski “looked like the final boss in George Floyd the video game.”