Comedians criticize Tony Hinchcliffe's jokes at Trump rally

Tony Hinchcliffe's recent jokes, including one that disparaged Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean,” have spread across the Internet – and fellow comics have been among his most vocal critics.

Hinchcliffe, host of the “Kill Tony” podcast, faced a wave of backlash and ridicule after making the remark at former President Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday. He also made crude jokes about Palestinians and Jews, black voters and Latinos more broadly.

Hinchcliffe had said in comments about how Latinos “love having babies,” “There is no way out. They don't do that. They are coming in, just like they did in our country.”

He later told a joke about one of his black “buddies” and how they “carved watermelons” together.

After intense online backlash, Hinchcliffe defended his comments on Sunday, writing on X that his critics had “no sense of humor.” A spokesman for Hinchcliffe did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

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The situation has contributed to an ongoing debate in and around the comedy world about humor and political correctness, which often comes down to understanding when, how and why to venture into cultural taboos.

In recent years, some popular comedians have lamented the idea that they can no longer say certain words or make certain jokes for fear of offending people. Jerry Seinfeld this month walked back his previous comments about the far left's homicidal comedy after many online users disagreed with his view.

Although pushing boundaries is still often built into comedy, comedians can't expect certain jokes to resonate the same way today as they might have decades ago, says stand-up comedian Jay Black.

“If you say something racist, sexist, anti-trans or anti-gay or any of those things, you won’t go to jail for it. But if people don't like it and they don't laugh and then say it was a bad thing to say, then that's their right too,” said Black, who was among those in the comedy industry who criticized Hinchcliffe's jokes online . “You made a bad joke and didn’t get away with it because you didn’t present it cleverly or originally or didn’t capture the spirit of the times in a way that made you laugh.”

When comic artists complain that modern standards of political correctness prevent them from making certain jokes, Black says, what they really mean is that they can no longer escape audience resistance.

“The answer is not that the world is too soft,” he said, but rather that previously acceptable forms of racist comedy are now viewed as “so stupid” that many viewers no longer have an appetite for them.

Some online comics didn't specifically mention Hinchcliffe's jokes at the rally, but expressed broader thoughts about how comedians cross the line.

On Monday, comedian Anthony Jeselnik posted a clip on TikTok in which he talks about how good comedy should inspire laughter rather than anger. The video was widely shared on social media platforms, where people suspected he was referring to Hinchcliffe. Jeselnik did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Comedian Marc Maron also criticized his fellow comedians in a blog post on Monday, specifically calling out those in the industry who have “invited shameless, self-proclaimed white supremacists and fascists onto their show to make jokes.” Maron, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, did not name anyone in the post.

As part of his campaign, Trump regularly appeared on podcasts hosted by comedians known for their conservative — but not overtly right-wing — counterculture appeal. He has recently conducted interviews with the likes of Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz and Theo Von.

Hinchcliffe, who has appeared on Rogan's podcast several times, is a prominent name in Rogan's circle of comedian podcasters. Rogan, a former sitcom star and stand-up comedian, has built a strong following as an unlikely political pundit. According to polling and data firm YouGov, The Joe Rogan Show's audience is 81% male.

Some online are also speculating whether Rogan played a role in getting Hinchcliffe to speak at Trump's rally. On an August episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan said Trump should hire Hinchcliffe to write “bangers” for him on the road.

On the final episode of his podcast on Wednesday, Rogan defended Hinchcliffe's Puerto Rico joke, saying that “Tony is actually obsessed with the Pacific garbage dump” and that the joke was inspired by the issue of recycled trash that often ends up in landfills.

A political event is “just a bad environment for comedy,” Rogan added. He also addressed the backlash, saying he believes Hinchcliffe “will get through this. He's going through a storm. When he's been canceled in the past, he's come back much stronger as a comedian… He'll come back better.”

But Hinchcliffe's joke was poorly received by both political parties.

In a statement Sunday, Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., and Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, R-Fla., were among the lawmakers who spoke expressed outrage at the Puerto Rico joke.

While most comedians did not defend Hinchcliffe, “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart said such jokes were to be expected from a comedian like Hinchcliffe.

“In retrospect, it is obvious that having a comedian come to a political rally a week before Election Day and inflame an important demographic was not the best political campaign decision,” Stewart said in his post Monday. “But to be fair, the guy just does what he does.”

Sometimes humor can cut through edgy content to make it more palatable, but there was no humor there so it wasn't palatable at all

-Ginny Hogan, satirical writer and stand-up comedian

What made Hinchcliffe's joke so unfunny for satirical writer and stand-up comedian Ginny Hogan was the lack of an obvious punchline beyond the pure shock factor of racism.

“I think it's okay to push boundaries when you're funny. The point of comedy is to make people laugh,” Hogan said. But with Hinchcliffe's joke, she said, “it almost felt like he was saying, 'I don't like Puerto Ricans,' which is clearly offensive.” Sometimes humor can cut through outlandish content to make it more palatable, but there was no humor, so it wasn’t palatable at all.”

Stand-up comedian Jake Flores, host of the podcast “Pod Damn America,” said the type of borderline comedian like Hinchcliffe is defined by public opinion rather than concrete consequences.

“The resistance that they feel represents a limit. There are just people who might say, 'Hey, you shouldn't do this thing that's mostly harmful and not that interesting anymore,'” Flores said, adding adding: “When you criticize them on the basis that what they said isn't funny or is just a bad joke. Instead of engaging in the criticism as it stands, which I think would be a losing battle, they kind of rephrase it: “You’re offended by me.” Anyone who doesn’t like what I do must be offended.”

This sentiment was shared by Black, who said that if a joke's sole purpose is to cause shock and outrage, it is “not good enough to justify its own existence.”

“So the question I would ask Tony would be: What else do you want to say?” he said. “Because at this point, all that’s left is racism, and you want me to be shocked at racism, but the fact is, you accomplished your goal, but you didn’t make me laugh.”

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