Comedian Michael Che pulled out of “The Roast of Kevin Hart” last weekend, citing “scheduling difficulties,” then complained that the writers involved in the event were too white. He also hated their jokes.
The 42-year-old “Saturday Night Live” star voiced his complaints on Instagram, criticizing both the style of humor and the racial makeup of the participants involved.
“White guys and black people joke different,” Che wrote. “Black guy roast like, ‘look at this n**** shoes!’ White roasts are like, ‘Slavery, math, slain teens, sex crimes, slurs, family secrets.’ White guys don’t give a f*** about they shoes.”
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Che’s comments appeared to reference jokes made during the roast by host Shane Gillis, Tony Hinchcliffe, Pete Davidson, and other comedians who attended.
Gillis told jokes about Jeffrey Epstein, lynching, and slavery. He joked that Hart’s ancestors “came to America in a slave ship in a bottle,” per Variety.
Jeff Ross and Katt Williams joked about Hart once attending a Diddy party. Davidson and Hinchcliffe referenced the N-word but didn’t say it. Hinchcliffe also came under fire for saying to 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.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gillis, Ross, and others joked about Hart’s late father’s addiction to crack cocaine, as the outlet noted.
Che followed up with another post criticizing event organizers for not including enough black comedians. This was after he pulled out of the event.
“‘Lets do a roast celebrating the career of the most successful black comic in the last 10 years,'” he wrote. “‘I love that! who should we get to write it?’” He then attached a picture showing white writers Gillis used, including Nick Mullen, J.P. McDade, Mike Lawrence, Dan St. Germain, and Zac Amico.
“C’monnnnnnnnn… that’s not funny?” Che wrote.
Variety reported that there were black writers on the team as well, though Che didn’t mention any of them. The post also received a community note on Instagram.
While Che didn’t appear to appreciate the roast and Floyd’s family called it “sad for the culture,” Hart played along and seemed amused, plus it was well-received by the audience, who were happy for comedians to start pushing boundaries again in the name of comedy.
These types of “forbidden jokes” have been taboo for so long that hearing them again felt like a breath of fresh air.
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