The Kevin Hart Roast controversy highlights how comedy roasts, traditionally a white comedic space, can become problematic when they include jokes about sensitive racial issues like George Floyd's murder, raising questions about whether comedians should know their audience and when the line between comedy and offense should be drawn.
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Kevin Hart Roast BACKLASH Explained | What Went Wrong? (MSR Bonus Episode)Added:
All right.
>> [music] >> Little little bonus MSR.
We got to talk about this Kevin Hart thing. Um the Kevin Hart [music] roast.
Uh I have some thoughts. I didn't I In full transparency, I did not like see the whole thing. Um I'm seeing it on clips online. I'm seeing, you know, I'm catching up that way. I plan on watching me and Jen talked about watching uh the roast, but I have seen the parts that people upset about. I have now seen them, okay? Um so let's talk about them.
>> [sighs and gasps] >> Can I just could Can I just share something real quick before we throw it around?
Sure.
Comedy Central used to do the roast all the time. Now Netflix is kind of taking over like the roast home, right? And the Tom Brady roast. The Tom By the way, the Tom Brady roast was disrespectful as [ __ ] It's hilarious.
>> Okay?
It was funny, boy, but they were I mean saying all sorts of [ __ ] about homeboy.
And then when he got up there, because Tom Brady's not a comedian, and whenever a non-comedian tries to tell like harsh jokes, they just always come off as like, "Oh my god, like you're just like talking [ __ ] Like you're just mean." Okay? But they were calling Bill Belichick basically a pervert. They would call it Tom Brady a loser that lost his wife and a [ __ ] psychopath.
They called Gronk a idiot several times.
Yeah.
It was funny.
Yeah, okay, like they were Look what Gronk was like, "Do I Do you really think I'm like this?"
Like they were kidding, okay? They called people called people gay.
All so I mean they were just going for it. I'm saying all this for a reason, okay? that these roast are what they are, okay?
And I Kevin Hart Kevin Hart might have been the biggest comedian to do one on Netflix so far. I can't speak for Comedy Central, but on Netflix so far the the most famous comedian I've I'm wrong about that I'm I'm I apologize, but I can't think of a bigger celebrity comedian that's done a roast on has been roasted on Netflix, okay? What I saw from the roast, my opinion of whether the joke was funny um or not, what I saw, the [ __ ] that people were mad about, is [ __ ] that happens at these roast.
And I think the problem was Kevin Hart introduced [clears throat] a whole new audience to the idea of these Netflix Comedy Central roast.
And I think that Nargis was mentioning Michael Che um while we were off air.
And Michael Che made a good point that black people roast one way, white people roast another way. And these roast are very white, okay? They're very white. And the sense of humor is very white.
And sometimes and Nargis is our comedy uh expert, so she could tell me what I'm wrong and right and break some [ __ ] Okay? But some of the things that these white guys think believe are funny at these roast are like extreme offensive, the worst [ __ ] you can say.
I remember Lisa Lampanelli. You remember Lisa Lampanelli? Mhm.
How do you not know Lisa Lampanelli is?
Contextualize her for me. I know that >> She's the girl that always jokes about [ __ ] black men. That's like her thing. Like she always talks about how she loves to [ __ ] >> So many white women. That's That's literally what she's known for. She She would always be at the roast. And she would be on those old Comedy Central roasts. Okay.
>> Um with all those people with them.
>> Handler as far as like a black Yeah, she Okay. I mean, I I Yeah, but either way They've called Lisa Ann Lampanelli dog face and all sorts I mean, just bad If you want to see a bad roast the Flavor Flav one is the is the is the all-time great. But anyway, I'm going to stop rapping and just say that before I get into whether I think Kill Tony and all that [ __ ] is proper to talk about and joke about.
These roasts go this way, and maybe we can have a discussion about whether we should be doing these roasts in that in in modern times, but these roasts are like horrific. And I didn't see anything different happen to Kevin Hart that I saw happen to Flavor Flav or or name that other comedian in terms of harshness. Understand what I mean by like just like trying to say the worst [ __ ] you could possibly say.
Now, should it happen to a Kevin Hart or a black person?
That to me is the discussion.
Okay, so >> [laughter] >> [ __ ] Joan.
Mhm. Right, we Joan. No problem.
Mhm. Oh, you this. Yeah. Oh, your shoes.
Oh, you da da da.
That's the point Michael Che was making.
[ __ ] not going to Joan and bring your dead man's into the Joan.
Right. Unless they're prepared to fight to the death.
To Joan your man. Yeah.
So, it's no problem with Kevin Hart.
Yes. Like I feel like the context of a roast is white. Yes. Mhm.
He showed the picture of the all the white writers who were involved with this roast. Comedy Central is a white space.
Right, that black people have been able to integrate the the the comedic spaces integrated. The the the mainstream comedic space Mhm.
>> is something black people have been able to infiltrate and be successful in.
Yeah. Right? It's never been like a to for me and I I don't want to speak in generalities, but I just feel it, right?
Going mainstream, getting off of the Chitlin Circuit, if you will. Like it's always us assimilating or accommodating the black comedic the white comedic spaces in some way.
There was nothing wrong with any of the jokes, aside from bringing George Floyd into it.
Mhm.
Mhm.
>> He was murdered.
Mhm.
People rioted.
Protests.
Someone's father was murdered. People are traumatized for life who were there, who witnessed it, who saw it, who who That's the line, bro.
If the if if we was doing a roast of George Floyd, then okay. That's not who we roasting right now. Mhm.
Mhm.
>> So, why was he the individual that you as a white person felt comfortable with inserting into this joke?
Right.
Right.
>> have said like I get like I get the I get I get your sick mind.
But it's there's a line, bro. And you can see on Regina Hall's face like, "Oh, these [ __ ] like, oh, absolutely not."
That's not funny to [clears throat] me.
No, but that's what I was saying earlier. That's what I mean, right?
That's what I mean.
I've heard worse [ __ ] said at a roast.
I'm just being serious, okay?
>> About people who've been murdered by police brutality.
>> Oh my god, I mean, yeah. I mean, I I mean, it Again, it hits hard for us.
That's why I'm saying that whether it's funny or not or whether black people should participate in this [ __ ] is the conversation. I agree with that 100%. I'm not defending the roast, by the way. What I'm saying is that ever since like that Jeff Ross like Roastmaster [ __ ] like that Comedy Central, cuz I've seen old roast with like Richard Pryor getting roasted, right? Like there's a bunch of [ __ ] in tuxedos, and they kind of just say some kind of [ __ ] up [ __ ] about the person, and then they go, "I love you so much."
And then they stand another. And then there's that famous um I think it was James Franco roast, right? Where famously all the James Franco adjacent comedians, you know, Jonah Hill, those type of dudes were like, "I can't God damn it. I'm I went too hard on you. I'm so sorry." Like they would like back off because And it was like light-hearted, but it was still very funny. Which showed you can do it that way. But the Jeff Ross and crew way of doing things is to say the most ridiculous, harsh, demeaning [ __ ] they could think of. And it's been plenty of white people. Not saying it justifies the George Floyd thing cuz I want to full stop. I agree with you, okay? And I think that's why Regina Hall didn't find it funny. All the black people that were there are speaking out, right?
Because to them it's like, "What the [ __ ] are we doing here, right? This ain't how we jump, But for them, make it fun of John Kennedy's head getting blown off or making fun of Jeffrey Dahmer eating people. That [ __ ] is been has been said. I can't think of like specific jokes obviously, but that type of [ __ ] gets said at these roasts.
It's like it's meant to make you go, "Oh my god, that's [ __ ] up." Joking about the R word. Joking about genocide. Joking about all sorts of [ __ ] Just trying to say the worst like meanest [ __ ] you can think of to make somebody laugh. Like you said in your in your sick mind. So, that's why I say like I don't think I You said something off air that I agree with 100%.
Kevin Hart associating with those type of comedians. I mean, if you y'all seen a Kill Tony before, right? Like the the dude Tony Hinchcliffe or whatever his name is.
You've seen the Kill Tony [ __ ] before.
You've seen like the Kill Tony shows before.
>> I haven't seen it.
Oh, the Kill Tony [ __ ] is all about that. That's what Kill Kill Tony is.
It's wow. Okay, so I I think the problem was having those people. You have mixed company. I'm not saying what they do is right at all, but I think black people too tend to see Kevin Hart get roasted. I think a general audience tuned in to see Kevin Hart get roasted. And what you ended up tuning into was a [ __ ] Kill Tony show.
Mhm.
That's what you ended up. So, now people are seeing a Kill Tony show. They're seeing the [ __ ] that they do all the time. And they're going, "What the [ __ ] was that?" Regina Hall would never go to a [ __ ] Kill Tony show.
Right. Ric Flair famously walked out of a Kill Tony show. Ric Flair the wrestler famously walked out. He was like, "Yo, y'all being I don't like this [ __ ] Y'all being way too disgusting and mean."
Right. Ric Flair. YouTube it. Google it.
Ric Flair.
Okay, so Yeah, woo.
>> [laughter] >> So, no. I mean I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I think that to me the conversation is definitely the next time we want to roast a famous or beloved black person, do we do we take care of it ourselves, so it's still enjoyable to the people that tuned in that care about Kevin Hart?
You know what I mean?
Or am I Or is that just wishful thinking? I don't know. Maybe that can't be pulled off.
>> I think Kevin knew exactly what was happening. I don't think that [ __ ] came into it blind.
Mhm. Like you know what I'm saying? Like if you if if you Well, I agree with that actually. Yes. Like you have a you you famously Mhm. have a team of [ __ ] who are writers.
Yeah. He know [clears throat] he'll talk.
>> asked for them to be part of or be the ones who make up your writing team for your roast. He didn't just It wasn't a surprise roast that he didn't know what was going on. You know what I mean? Like Yeah. Kevin Hart could have used some autonomy in some way. Um and that's why you know, yeah, I was saying off air like I I stopped banging with him a while ago.
Um just not necessarily from an acting career, but just I don't know. Like I don't know if maybe he just got like too famous or like I just started hearing like too many like familiar patterns of like how he tells his jokes. I was like, oh, I know exactly what he about to transition to. Okay, he's going to he's going to end his set with a story about his family and like I I already I already know the rhythm of your stand-up. Mhm. So, it's not as engaging to me.
And then you're literally like you're oversaturating, so I'm tired of your voice.
Mhm. actually >> you as a serious actor, but when you now try to come out and like do like Katt Williams joke. His role was hilarious because yeah, the [ __ ] is just kind of been everything and like I don't like it. Um, cuz you you need a palate cleanser from you, bro. Like you're a very specific type of Yeah.
>> comic like It's too much of you.
Um, but that's just [clears throat] me.
So like >> Mhm.
I think Kevin Hart has enough money and enough influence to to know exactly what was or wasn't or to have said like this is off the table.
I don't want this type of whatever. Now for all of these comedians to come on the back end like Sheryl Underwood Mhm.
and even Kevin to come back and say, "Look, this is ropes culture. This is what it is. We comedians, we joke, we laugh at inappropriate [ __ ] End of story."
No, [ __ ] that's not the statement to make. "I apologize for any offenses that may have been made by the George Floyd's family."
Mhm.
We said, you know, this this was said in jest.
"I understand how it could have been taken as inappropriate. However, as a comic to comic, we can be inappropriate with each other sometimes because that's our humor because of our [ __ ] up lives that have informed this demented sense of Like I feel like there's some way to say it. Mhm. But I also understand why some comedians is like I ain't over explaining [ __ ] cuz my name's Kevin Hart. Like I get both sides. But I literally like even there's been a reemergence of the R-word because society sucks.
Yeah.
I wouldn't let that slide.
It's literally using the the murder of a man Yeah.
>> as a punchline.
A murder of a black man cuz that's why it's so >> black man. No, yeah, because that's that's why it matters.
>> context like the manner of his death as the punchline.
No, 100% >> what the race It could have been a black person that said that. I'm going to still be like, "Hey young, what are you doing?" Right, because in our community we have set boundaries.
Right? And we in our community have said that that's off-limit.
Right?
We have said that. And this is for me, in my experience, one of the few that we have said that for. People have made fun of Martin Luther King getting shot, or beat.
People made fun of Rodney King getting beat. That was a thing for years. Rodney King, Rodney King, Rodney King, right?
For whatever reason, George Floyd is the one that is And I agree with it, right?
I agree with it. But to broaden it a bit because you said it. Comedians will say like, "Yo, if I got to start apologizing for this then then it means the how far does this [ __ ] go?" And this is the Dave Chappelle thing. This is We talked about this months ago on the show when when Dave Chappelle caught heat again in one of his stand-ups, right? And and we often defend Chappelle. Now, Dave Chappelle to me is a lot is is The reason why I don't personally get offended by Chappelle because I always get It's always clever, in my opinion, right? But it's not hasn't felt clever to trans people.
Hasn't felt clever to them, right? So, I just wonder if This is for anybody to jump in on.
I just wonder if our taste for comedy as a larger society, not people that go to Kill Tony shows, right? Or are in the comedy club all the time and will listen to the most wild comedian and this that and the other, right? But larger because a Kevin Hart roast is different than some [ __ ] Jeff Ross roasting Flavor Flav and just talking big [ __ ] about Flavor Flav. I mean, saying wild [ __ ] about Flavor Flav, okay? Every black stereotype [ __ ] you could say them [ __ ] were saying about Flavor Flav. It was ridiculous, okay? But, obviously Kevin Hart is a huge star. So, when you roast to him, more people are going to tune in.
And I'm wondering if the larger society cuz every time Chappelle does a stand-up, it's a breakdown in a in a in a in a we we dissecting the jokes, you know what I'm saying?
We're doing the same thing here.
I'm wondering if it's a larger society our taste for comedy has just changed and I wonder if it's the comedians that are behind on this. If society is saying one thing and the and the comedians are constantly fighting it and I tend to side with the comedians, but every time it feels like every 6 months we're breaking down what some comedian said.
And deciding whether or not they should joke about this or not. Whether we agree with it or not.
Well, it's the it's the uh uh uh a um a tough place to navigate because obviously people want to they want to always go back to the first amendment, right? People want to always stand behind the veil the veil of comedy, right? And I think that obviously we have the uh uh uh complex enough brain to understand jokes, like to understand them. However, there may be something to to the fact that like some like everyone's palette isn't the same. And I think we're evolving in so many ways. You understand what I'm saying? Like who's to say that like certain things like like not taking people's right away from them, but who's to say where that we haven't, you know, gone into a a place where certain things aren't even tasteful in comedy. We we talked a a little a little while back about about about rap battles, right? We talked about how how our own comfort level for people in in injecting people's kids and people injecting people's mothers and the way that the way that things were done even when we were teenagers how in my my 48-year-old old pal and stomach can can truthfully do without it. Like I can and and I'm not I don't I won't want to be I don't want to be as brass as telling the younger the younger audience what what they should find palatable and all of those things because we had our ability to have, you know, to have, you know, things that were rebellious and all of those things, but like in in thinking about, you know, the gravity of certain things and I think something that you always talking about like even a lot of those like black jokes that I know like I didn't watch the whole Roast Battle. I saw some of that uh the Rapper. I guess that that's the the Kill Tony guy. I saw some of his stuff.
I literally just happened to be at the barber shop and my barber was literally looking at it right when that was happening and I was like, bro, you're right on time because I need to see some of this. You know what I'm saying?
But I think that um I don't know. I think that that everything has the the ability to evolve. I think we could be complex in in thought enough to talk about that yes, I know that everything like there's satire, there's so many things that we find funny and I know that comedy is supposed to be a a free space, but uh overtly disrespecting you know, people. Now, mind you, even in that self-same Roast, they were talking about Sheryl Underwood's uh husband who killed himself.
Like multiple multiple people were bringing up bringing up that joke and then and and all of those things. So, like I don't know, man. Like I said, I'm not I'm not here to like I'm not here to censor or stop anyone, but I mean there there there there I don't think there's anything wrong with having at least a magnifying glass up to things that we can it like and we can like discuss this and like Nargis said, obviously comics can explain the throws of comedy. They can explain that this is a art form that that this these is what we what we wish to achieve and and all those things while also knowing that we can still have some element of of compassion for for someone's family, someone that was was murdered. I think in just in this to answer your question this case with George Floyd was so polarizing over the whole world and how the world stop. I think that's where you know, and there's so many different age groups that were involved in it now.
You see what I'm saying? So like you have people that are like like Nargis is is a comedy and you know, she that that is one of her things, you know what I'm saying? And she's her age. There are people that are older than her, but I think that as stuff goes on like I think more of these conversations going to be had because we're living we're living in the in the era where things are questioned and some of these kids go back and examine things of old and bring up stuff that you said 12 and 15 years ago and put you to the fire for that. So I think like that that's the the kind of a space where and we're still going to be in a space where we have free thought, we have like comedy can do a space where we're going to have a a place where those things are still going to be challenged, too.
Yeah, my last point on this is my last Yeah, yeah, my my my my seriously my last thought on this is just obviously there will always be roast.
Obviously I'm with free speech.
Obviously I want comedians to be comedians and do their thing. I just wonder if and I think Nargis really made the point on this like it really lands where you think the type of guy Kevin Hart is.
Um I don't think the juice was worth the squeeze.
Right.
>> Like cuz cuz someone trying to shoehorn a joke someone trying to shoehorn a a George Floyd joke knowing that most people are going to be offended by it. so you're doing it to offend on purpose cuz you're that type of comedian. He's the same comedian that caught up got caught up doing the Trump thing over doing the the election, making fun of um Puerto Ricans. That Puerto Ricans, you know, yeah, Puerto Rican, right? He's the the same guy. So, you bring him on. He's the most controversial comedian probably in the world, right? You bring him on to shoehorn a George Floyd joke to a audience that's going to be mostly black. Okay? Is stupid in my mind. So, the juice is not worth the squeeze.
Doesn't mean you can't have roasted comedians can't roast each other and all that [ __ ] but it just means like know your audience and and anytime you have to come out of it explaining yourself, um you failed. You failed.
You failed.
>> Now, do we know did did he have did he have any any say so in the lineup or were or did or did Netflix have say so in that lineup?
That's what I'm saying, young lady.
Yeah, I'm yeah, go ahead. Go ahead.
>> see how Kevin Hart Yeah, I don't see how he could >> did not know. Yeah. Like we think he didn't know Kat Williams was going to be there? Right. You know what I'm saying?
Like I think he was Kevin Hart is too much of a He's a brand.
>> brand. Yeah. Yeah. To not know every aspect of what was going to take place in his roast. Yeah. And what was and wasn't going to be on or off the table.
Yeah.
>> I I I I would be baffled and I would be I would question the legitimacy if someone said Kevin didn't know.
I agree with you.
>> But also Yeah.
We're not The white man who said the [ __ ] is the problem. Like Yes. I'm mad at Kevin for Like if you know this [ __ ] is problematic and says inappropriate things, then you be like, "Hey, I need my people to go talk to his people and let him know like what can't You know what I'm saying? Like Or just I know he's not going to do that. So don't invite him.
Don't invite him. That's the thing. You just don't have him Don't have him there because the degree of And I again, y'all know I love comedy, but nobody is off limits. Like South Park was great at saying And I didn't It's not stand-up, but you know, like everything has the potential to be funny. I'm very excited that Scary Movie is coming back with the original cast. I want to see how they're going to push the limits of offending people. But I am so confident that there is no joke >> [laughter] >> revolving around public homicide. Yeah.
In front of all of us, right? So like the battery that had to have been inserted into this white man's back.
Mhm.
>> That That That is still charging because he's not the one catching the flak.
We're all mad at Kevin.
And he was supposed to be the guest.
Well, I'mma tell you why Yes, agree with you.
Fully agree with you.
Kill Tony is what it is. Yeah. He's you you I don't bring Kevin Durant to a basketball court and expect him not to shoot.
Right.
>> Like he's a ball player. You know what I'm saying? Like Kill Tony is what it is. Like I just mentioned the the James Franco wrote from roast from years ago. Mhm. And I'm pretty sure that James Franco said They probably said, "Do you want this guy here? This woman here?" No, I want Jonah Hill. I I Aziz Ansari. I want my Do you know what I'm saying?
And their their roast felt like their brand of comedy. They called him gay and all sorts of [ __ ] Like that was like the running theme that James Franco is like bisexual. It's like that was like the running joke, right? Okay.
Sure. They made fun of Seth Rogen's laugh or you know, it like really like kind of like the Andy Samberg got up there. I want y'all to Google this when we done. Seriously, I want y'all to Google Andy Samberg's roast. He went up there, y'all, and made fun of himself the whole time.
Talked about how in love he is with with James Franco and how he really just wants to I just want to have sex. Like he was like he was like and he kept calling him a chicken. He kept hitting him like, "That's because you're a chicken." Because he's not a rooster.
He's a [ __ ] goofy comedian and none of them were going to pretend, but that was what VH1 set up to make James Franco comfortable. Tom Brady was his [ __ ] football friends. It was the Patriots that they all joined in on him.
So, people like you know, Gronk and all of them could say this really personal stuff about him because those are his boys in the locker room.
You invite someone from Kill Tony onto that stage.
Someone that goes on and goes on that platform. For anybody watching this, if you don't already know, Google Kill Tony. They go hard. Their whole brand is saying the worst [ __ ] Okay? Their entire brand.
You invite him or allow him to be invited is on you. And I hate to blame the black man. I understand your point, Naggers. I do I give you what you're saying. The white man said it, but this is a white man that does this.
Why is he there? He's like, "Y'all know I say nigger." Y'all know this what I do.
Yeah. Right.
This what I do. I'd be like that if I was him. Like, "Yo, why y'all?" He ain't hosting Saturday Night Live. He not doing main The most mainstream thing he did was the Trump rally thing and even that went horribly wrong. A [ __ ] Trump rally went wrong.
Okay, he Right.
>> He was too much for a Trump rally.
So Hey man, the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze. Yeah.
Yeah, maybe not have him there.
It wasn't worth the squeeze, man.
Because we're not celebrating you and your achievements. That's what a roast is for. We talking about our accomplishments. Why is you apologizing and then what, you know?
And now the stories about your business coming out and how, you know, it's bad.
Got him back. Right.
All right.
Appreciate y'all tuning into this little bonus episode. MSR every Thursday 8:00, tune in, check us out. Like and subscribe, [music] do all of that.
Peace.
>> [music] >> Yeah.
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