© Aaron E. Martinez / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Comedian Matt Rife is defending Tony Hinchcliffe after Hinchcliffe received backlash over several jokes at the Kevin Hart roast.
For the past two weeks, Hinchcliffe has found himself in hot water after he made a joke about George Floyd during the roast.
“The Black community is so proud of you,” he said. “Right now, George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
Hinchcliffe also faced backlash for joking about Sheryl Underwood’s late husband, who committed suicide.
“Her husband committed suicide 3 years into the marriage. I’ve been sitting next to her for 2 hours and I have to ask: how did he last that long?”
Chelsea Handler publicly condemned Hinchcliffe over his jokes at the roast.
“I don’t find those jokes to be funny,” Handler said during an appearance on the Funny Knowing You podcast. “Jokes about lynching Black people, lynching is not a joke. That’s worse than rape.”
“I find that to be gross. I found them making fun of Sheryl Underwood’s dead husband, who committed suicide, is gross. “You know, she’s fine with that. If she says she’s fine with that, she’s fine with that. I wasn’t fine with that.”
Chelsea Handler goes OFF on Tony Hinchcliffe & Shane Gillis for making “racist” jokes at the Kevin Hart Roast and claims White people should NOT be joking about Black people in that kind of way since its equivalent to joking about r-pe 😳
“I knew enough about Tony & Shane…… pic.twitter.com/jjhgXUdPBz
— Killa 🌺 (@KillaKreww) May 20, 2026
While speaking with Variety at the American Music Awards, Rife thinks everyone complaining about Hinchcliffe’s jokes during the roast should “shut up.”
“It’s supposed to be mean-spirited, but you don’t actually mean it. Everyone there loves each other.”
Matt Rife tells people complaining about the Kevin Hart roast to “shut up”:
“It’s supposed to be mean-spirited, but you don’t actually mean it. Everyone there loves each other.”#AMAs pic.twitter.com/IU7dG9CNe1
— Variety (@Variety) May 25, 2026