Michael Che has criticised Netflix's The Roast of Kevin Hart special, questioning why a roast celebrating “the most successful Black comic in the last 10 years” relied heavily on White joke writers. The Saturday Night Live star took to Instagram on Tuesday to express his concerns.
Hosted by Shane Gillis, the live show aired on Sunday from the Kia Forum in Los Angeles as part of the 2026 Netflix Is a Joke Fest. The event featured a celebrity line-up including Pete Davidson, Chelsea Handler, Regina Hall, Tony Hinchcliffe, and Draymond Green, with surprise appearances from Usher, Lizzo, Dwayne Johnson, and Katt Williams.
In his posts, Che alluded to controversial material from the roast, noting that “White guys and Black people joke different.” He specifically called out jokes by Gillis about Hart’s height comparing him to “a slave” and referencing lynching, as well as a routine by Hinchcliffe about George Floyd that included the phrase “laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
Che also took aim at the writing team, sharing an image of five writers hired by Gillis – Nick Mullen, JP McDade, Mike Lawrence, Dan St Germain, and Zac Amico – all of whom are White. One of the writers, McDade, reposted the image with the caption “Don’t swipe”.
According to Variety, Che had originally been scheduled to appear but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts with SNL. The roast listed 17 credited writers, several of whom were Black, including Harry Ratchford, Chris Spencer, and Joey Wells. Handler also posted a photo of her own writing team, which included Black writers Yamaneika Saunders and Yassir Lester.
During the roast, Hart was interrupted by Tom Brady, who mocked the comedian over his 2017 infidelity scandal. Hart later publicly apologised to his wife Eniko, who was in the audience.
