Trending Now - Comedians Critique Offensive Jokes at Kevin Hart's Roast

WHO:

Sportskeeda - Sheryl Underwood, Tony Hinchcliffe, Shane Gillis, Chelsea Handler, Deon Cole

AV Club - Chelsea Handler, Shane Gillis, Tony Hinchcliffe, Michael Che

WHAT:

AV Club - Chelsea Handler stated that she found the overall vibe of the roast to be "icky" and "gross," asserting that "Kevin didn’t deserve that. He deserved, like, an elevated roast."

AV Club - Handler criticized the jokes made about Sheryl Underwood’s deceased husband, who committed suicide, stating, "I thought that was disgusting, too."

AV Club - Handler mentioned that a lot of white comics perform racist material to try to court the “Roganites and that Austin group.”

AV Club - Gillis stated, "This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her. We’re all rooting for her."

AV Club - Chelsea Handler stated that the roast went "better than I thought" it would, despite her criticisms of the material.

AV Club - Handler mentioned that some of Gillis' ex-girlfriends had direct messaged her about him, sharing that "they’re racist, that they’re bigots, that they’re sexist, that they think that they’re invincible."

AV Club - Handler criticized the notion that jokes about lynching could be acceptable, stating, "lynching is not a joke. That’s worse than rape."

AV Club - Handler expressed that she found it disgusting that jokes were made about Sheryl Underwood’s deceased husband, who committed suicide, stating, "I thought that was disgusting, too."

AV Club - Gillis responded to Handler's criticism by saying, "This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her."

AV Club - Chelsea Handler stated that ahead of the roast, some of Shane Gillis' ex-girlfriends had direct messaged her and shared information about him, indicating that "they’re racist, that they’re bigots, that they’re sexist, that they think that they’re invincible."

AV Club - Handler described the overall vibe of the roast as "icky" and "gross," asserting that "Kevin didn’t deserve that. He deserved, like, an elevated roast."

Sportskeeda - Sheryl Underwood expressed that some jokes at the roast went too far, particularly those from Tony Hinchcliffe.

AV Club - Chelsea Handler described the material from Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe at the roast as "gross" and "vile."

AV Club - Gillis made jokes about lynching and suggested George Floyd is in Hell during the roast.

AV Club - Handler criticized Gillis for calling her a Zionist and referencing her meeting Jeffrey Epstein in 2010.

AV Club - Handler stated that she found jokes about lynching Black people to be worse than jokes about rape.

AV Club - Handler mentioned that she found it disgusting that jokes were made about Underwood’s deceased husband, who committed suicide.

AV Club - Gillis responded to Handler's criticism, stating, "This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her."

WHERE:

AV Club - The roast took place at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival.

WHEN:

AV Club - Gillis announced a performance scheduled for "July 17th at the football stadium in Philly."

WHY:

AV Club - Handler criticized the jokes as being lazy and aimed at courting a specific audience, referring to "Roganites and that Austin group."

HOW:

AV Club - Handler indicated that she aimed to elevate the roast's vibe, stating, "I was like alright, well, I’ll pick it up because they’re going to try to bring it down."

AV Club - Handler mentioned that she aimed to elevate the roast's vibe, stating, "I was like alright, well, I’ll pick it up because they’re going to try to bring it down."

AV Club - Handler indicated that she aimed to elevate the roast's vibe, stating, "I was like alright, well, I’ll pick it up because they’re going to try to bring it down."

(UPDATED May 23, 2026 01:33 UTC)

Chelsea Handler expressed her discomfort with the recent roast, describing the overall vibe as "icky" and "gross," and emphasized that Kevin deserved a more elevated roast. She criticized the jokes made about Sheryl Underwood’s late husband, calling them disgusting, and pointed out that many white comics resort to racist material to appeal to certain audiences. In response, comedian Shane Gillis praised Handler for seizing this moment, saying, "This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her. We’re all rooting for her."

(UPDATED May 22, 2026 23:19 UTC)

Chelsea Handler expressed that the roast went "better than I thought" it would, despite her criticisms of the material, and she shared that some of Gillis' ex-girlfriends had reached out to her, describing him as "racist, bigots, and sexist." Handler also condemned jokes about lynching, stating, "lynching is not a joke. That’s worse than rape," and found it particularly disgusting that jokes were made about Sheryl Underwood’s deceased husband. In response, Gillis acknowledged Handler's criticism, saying, "This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her," while also announcing a performance scheduled for "July 17th at the football stadium in Philly."

(UPDATED May 22, 2026 19:27 UTC)

Chelsea Handler revealed that ahead of the roast, some of Shane Gillis' ex-girlfriends reached out to her, sharing concerns about his character, describing him as "racist, bigoted, and sexist." She expressed that the overall atmosphere of the roast felt "icky" and "gross," emphasizing that Kevin deserved a more elevated experience. Handler also mentioned her intention to uplift the roast's vibe, saying, "I was like alright, well, I’ll pick it up because they’re going to try to bring it down."

(UPDATED May 22, 2026 08:07 UTC)

At the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, Sheryl Underwood expressed concern that some jokes at the roast, particularly those from Tony Hinchcliffe, went too far, while Chelsea Handler described material from Shane Gillis and Hinchcliffe as "gross" and "vile." Handler criticized Gillis for making offensive jokes about lynching and referencing her past meeting with Jeffrey Epstein, stating that jokes about lynching Black people were worse than jokes about rape, and she found it particularly disgusting that jokes were made about Underwood’s deceased husband. In response to Handler's criticism, Gillis remarked, "This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her," as he announced a performance scheduled for July 17th at the football stadium in Philly.