Noneillah Review: The Kevin Hart Netflix Roast Crossed the Line Against Black America
The recent Netflix roast involving Kevin Hart has sparked major controversy, and many people in the Foundational Black American community feel deeply disrespected. What was promoted as “comedy” quickly turned into something darker, jokes about slavery, lynching, suicide, and the tragic death of George Floyd.
Yet, Kevin Hart had the nerves to say Tony Hinchcliffe ‘Arguably Had the Best Set’ at His Netflix Roast Despite Backlash: ‘I Don’t Expect Less. I Don’t Expect More’
Kevin Hart is speaking out about Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial set at his Netflix roast.
“Yeah, the George Floyd joke, it wasn’t a tasteful joke to our culture, to our audience, but our audience that’s watching the roast, if you’re watching the roast, you get why they’re doing it. You get why the racial humor is on the table,” Hart said Tuesday on “The Breakfast Club.” “I wasn’t shocked. That’s what they do. Go look at [The Roast of] Tom Brady, like, that’s what they do. It happens every year when they do a roast.”
As noted by Hart, Hinchcliffe’s joke about George Floyd, a Black man who was murdered by police in 2020, was met with particular backlash from critics. During his set, Hinchcliffe told 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.”
I don’t find those jokes to be funny, jokes about lynching Black people,” Handler said. “Lynching is not a joke. That’s worse than rape.
At what point does comedy stop being comedy and become cruelty?
Hollywood always says “everything is fair game” during a roast. But that statement only seems to apply when the target is Black people and Black pain.
If any Black comedian made jokes about the Holocaust, concentration camps, or the suffering of the Jewish community, they would immediately face outrage, cancellation, and possible blackballing from Hollywood. We already witnessed the backlash faced by celebrities like Nick Cannon and Kanye West after comments that were considered offensive toward the Jewish community.
The message from Hollywood is clear:
Some communities are protected.
Black Americans are not.
During the Netflix roast, comedians joked about slavery, lynching, and even George Floyd’s death, a death that traumatized millions of people around the world. George Floyd was not a fictional character. He was a real human being whose family is still alive and grieving.
How can anyone claim “everything is off the table” when discussing someone who died in such a horrific way?
And if roasts are supposedly harmless, then why did producers reportedly make it clear that permission had been given to joke about Sheryl Underwood’s deceased husband? If permission mattered there, was permission ever given by George Floyd’s family?
The answer is no.
That exposes the double standard.
When Black people express pain or anger over racist jokes, society tells us we are “too sensitive” and that it is “just comedy.” Yet other communities are allowed, and expected, to defend themselves when lines are crossed.
Black people are constantly told to laugh at their own historical trauma:
- Slavery
- Lynching
- Police brutality
- Generational racism
- Public humiliation
- Death
But these are not punchlines to many families. These are real historical wounds.
Lynching is not “dark humor.” There are still racial hate crimes happening in America today. The history of Black Americans being terrorized, tortured, and murdered should never become entertainment for Netflix ratings or celebrity checks.
Some of the comedians participating in these roasts appear willing to sacrifice dignity, history, and community respect for Hollywood approval and financial gain. Many viewers now feel that certain Black entertainers are helping normalize disrespect toward their own people.
Meanwhile, other communities consistently unite and speak up when offensive content targets them.
That difference matters.
Even sports commentator Stephen A. Smith publicly admitted he was hurt after Kevin Hart joked that he “hates Black people.” Whether meant seriously or not, these statements contribute to a culture where disrespect toward Black Americans is normalized and rewarded.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial George Floyd joke especially crossed the line for many viewers. Some people believe he avoided major backlash because of the environment where the joke was delivered and because attacks against Black pain are often treated differently in mainstream entertainment.
This is not about being unable to take a joke.
This is about accountability.
Comedy should challenge power, not repeatedly mock the suffering of oppressed people while corporations profit from it.
Many Black viewers are now questioning whether they should continue financially supporting platforms like Netflix when that platform distributes content they believe humiliates and dehumanizes their community.
At some point, Black America must decide:
What are we willing to keep laughing at?
Because if society continues turning Black trauma into entertainment, eventually people will stop seeing the humanity behind the pain.
- Noneillah Entertainment
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