Kevin Hart is catching heat from all angles after his Netflix roast turned into a political nightmare that’s now connected to Republicans honouring the man who killed George Floyd.
The comedian defended Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial George Floyd joke at the roast, calling it just edgy comedy, but now he’s taking the blame for opening the door that let racism walk right through.
The joke landed like a brick, and when the backlash came, Hart didn’t apologize. Instead, he doubled down on The Breakfast Club, saying the joke “wasn’t tasteful” but that he understood why comedians tell that kind of material during roasts. The Floyd family saw Hart’s refusal to take responsibility as a green light for something worse. Days after the sixth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the Minnesota GOP held a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin at their state convention.
Chauvin, who’s serving 22.5 years in state prison plus 21 years federal time for violating Floyd’s civil rights, was being honoured by Republicans to the family’s disbelief. Travis Cains, spokesman for The Gianna and George Floyd Foundation, connected the dots directly:
“To put a guy on the pedestal and hold a moment of silence for him is insane. The whole world knows that the public lynching of George Floyd was tragic.”
The foundation believes Kevin Hart’s joke “opened up doors for more racism,” and now they’re seeing it play out in real time. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison didn’t hold back, calling the GOP’s decision “an act of profound cruelty to the Floyd family.”