Kevin Hart refuses to apologize for a sarcastic joke about George Floyd, prompting the Floyd family to directly tie it to Republicans commemorating Derek Chauvin.
Kevin Hart’s Netflix rant turned into a political nightmare, and now it’s tied to Republicans honoring the man who killed George Floyd.
The comedian defended Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial George Floyd joke at a roast, saying it was just edgy comedy, but now he’s being accused of opening the door for racism to flourish.
Hinchcliffe’s punchline was brutal: “The black community is proud of you right now. George Floyd looked up at all of us and laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe.”
The joke landed like a ton of bricks, and when the backlash came, Hart made no apology.
Instead, he doubled down on “The Breakfast Club,” calling the joke “tasteless” but understanding why comedians would tell such content during roasts.
When asked if he should have stopped Hinchcliffe, Hart retorted: “What do you want me to do? Drag him away? That’s not what I agreed to do.”
The Floyd family believes Hart’s refusal to accept responsibility was a green light for something worse to happen.
Days after the sixth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the Minnesota Republican Party held a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin at the state convention.
Chauvin is serving 22.5 years in state prison and 21 years in federal prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights. Republicans’ tribute to Chauvin was beyond belief for his family.
Travis Cairns, a spokesman for Gianna and the George Floyd Foundation, connected the dots directly: “To put a man on a pedestal and hold a moment of silence in his honor is crazy. The world knows the public lynching of George Floyd was a tragedy.”
The foundation believed Kevin Hart’s joke “opened the door to more racism,” and now they’re seeing it play out in real time.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison didn’t back down, calling the Republican decision “an extremely cruel act against the Floyd family.”
He said the moment of silence tarnished Floyd’s memory and retraumatized his loved ones.
Hart’s “it’s just comedy” stance has become a license for something much darker.
