Chelsea Handler has criticised comedians Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe for what she describes as 'racist' and 'sexist' jokes made during Netflix's 'The Roast of Kevin Hart'. Speaking on Deon Cole's podcast 'Funny Knowing You', the former late-night host said she was warned about the pair before the event.
Handler claimed she received messages from Gillis's ex-girlfriends prior to the roast. When pressed for details, she said: 'It's just everything we know: that they're racist, that they're bigots, that they're sexist. That they think they're invincible.'
She specifically condemned a joke by Gillis about lynching, in which he said Hart is 'so short, you'd have to lynch him from a bonsai tree'. Handler said: 'Lynching is not a joke. That's worse than rape. You're not joking about rape, are you? … You know you can't do that, but you can say 'lynching'?'
Handler also took issue with jokes about Sheryl Underwood's late husband, who died by suicide. Although Underwood had given prior consent, Handler said: 'If she says she's fine with that, she's fine with that. I wasn't fine with that. I thought that was disgusting, too.'
In response, Gillis told Variety: 'This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she's capitalizing. Good for her. We're all rooting for her.' He later released a podcast episode with Underwood, who reaffirmed she took no offence, saying: 'Sometimes humor is the thing. It's the most uncomfortable humor that lessens the tension and the stress.'
