Chelsea Handler was not a fan of some jokes during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart, and the show’s host, Shane Gillis, is staying unbothered.
“It was gross,” Handler, 51, said during the Wednesday, May 20, episode of the “Funny Knowing You” podcast after being asked to share her thoughts on Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe’s jokes during the roast, which aired earlier this month.
“I don’t find those jokes to be funny,” Handler continued. “Jokes about lynching Black people, lynching is not a joke. That’s worse than rape. You’re not joking about rape, are you?”
She added, “You can go for it without being gross.”
During the May 10 roast, Gillis noted that he was told to “be racist” with his jokes. As he wrapped up his opening, Gillis told the crowd that he had “a nice PG short joke” before introducing other comedians.
“Kevin’s so short, they’re going to have to lynch him from a bonsai tree,” Gillis, 38, said. Hart, 46, was shown laughing before he stood up to shake Gillis’ hand.
“That was three weeks of deliberation on that joke,” Gillis added, as the crowd laughed. “Look, I understand how serious the word lynch is but bonsai is so funny.”
During Wednesday’s podcast episode Handler said that Gillis’ joke and others made by Hinchcliffe, 41, gave her the “ick.” Handler even claimed that she received messages from women who dated Gillis telling her “everything we know,” before calling him and Hinchcliffe “racists,” “bigots” and “sexist.” One of Gillis’ exes allegedly told Handler that he thinks he’s “invisible” and can say whatever he wants.
Gillis responded to Handler’s comments in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday.
“This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her. We’re all rooting for her,” he said. Anyway, come see me July 17 at the football stadium in Philly.”
Tony Hinchcliffe was a polarizing figure in stand-up comedy long before his May 2026 appearance on Kevin Hart’s roast. Hinchcliffe is a dark humor and insult-based comedian who has found himself in hot water over the years. In 2021, Hinchcliffe used an anti-Asian slur against a Chinese American comedian who opened for him. As a […]
As Handler’s podcast episode continued, she also called out the comedian’s who made jokes about former The Talk host Sheryl Underwood’s late husband, who died by suicide.
Underwood, meanwhile, appeared on Gillis’ “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast” on Wednesday and discussed the jokes about roast being a widow. Gillis stated “on the record” that he called Underwood, 62, for permission before mentioning her late husband.
“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,” Handler continued. “There was so much disgustingness that I knew it was going to be a gross vibe that I would be able to elevate it no problem. That’s what I went to do.”