Chelsea Handler lashes out at comedians Tony Hinchcliffe, Shane Gillis over ‘racist’ jokes at Kevin Hart’s Netflix roast

Last Updated: May 21, 2026By
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In a recent podcast appearance, left-wing comedian Chelsea Handler criticized fellow comics Tony Hinchcliffe and Shane Gillis for their jokes at the Netflix roast of Kevin Hart, saying the two are “racists” and “bigots.”

Hinchcliffe came under fire for making a joke about George Floyd, whose 2020 death sparked riots across the country. He said, “You’ve done good though, Kevin. The black community is so proud of you. Right now, George Floyd is looking up at us all, laughing so hard that he can’t breathe.” Roast host Gillis, referencing Hart’s short stature, joked that “they’re gonna have to lynch him from a bonsai tree.”

Handler, appearing on the “Deon Cole’s Funny Knowing You” podcast, said she knew “enough about like, Tony Hinchcliffe and Shane and their backgrounds” going into the roast, at which she also was a roaster. She said she had been reached out to by ex-girlfriends of Gillis, “So based on that I was like, oh these guys are pretty bad.”

She said that the two comics are “racist,” bigots,” and “sexist,” and that they think “they’re, like, invincible,” noting Gillis’ firing from Saturday Night Live and eventual guest appearance hosting the show.

Referencing Gillis’ joke, Handler said, “It was gross. There’s not—I don’t find those jokes to be funny, jokes about lynching black people or like, it—lynching is not a joke, it’s not. That’s worse than rape. Like, you’re not joking about rape, are you? Are you saying I’m gonna go rape you? You know you can’t do that, but you can say lynching?”

“I don’t know. You know, people are, like, it’s a roast, you go for it. I’m like, you couldn’t go for it without being gross? Like, I find that to be gross.”

She said that “there was so much disgustingness that I knew it was going to be such a, like, gross vibe that I would be able to elevate it, no problem. And that’s what I went to do. I was like, all right, well, I’ll pick it up, because they’re going to try and bring it down, and Kevin didn’t deserve that. He deserved an elevated roast.”

Following Handler’s podcast appearance, Gillis told Page Six through a spokesperson, “This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her. We’re all rooting for her. Anyway come see me July 17th at the football stadium in Philly.”

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