Controversy Continues Following the Netflix Special
The Kevin Hart Roast continues to generate attention weeks after the comedian endured a night of relentless jokes during Netflix’s hit comedy special. While discussing who could be the next celebrity to take the hot seat, Kevin Hart made it clear there is one person he believes should never be roasted.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Hart and host Jimmy Kimmel talked about potential candidates for future roast events. From his discussion, it’s clear that Kevin Hart has thought a lot about the art of roast—especially after experiencing the Kevin Hart Roast himself. Hart suggested LeBron James because of his cultural impact and popularity. However, the conversation took a different turn when Kimmel mentioned Oprah Winfrey.
Hart immediately rejected the idea of an Oprah-centered roast and said he would personally try to stop it from happening, citing the unique status of celebrities like Oprah as being above even the spirit of a Kevin Hart Roast.
“That’d be like spray painting the Sistine Chapel,” Hart said. “If I found out that Oprah said she wanted to do it, I’m driving 100 miles per hour to Oprah’s house. You cannot do this. No shot.” This shows how seriously Hart takes the meaning behind a major roast event, especially after his involvement with the famous Kevin Hart Roast.
The Kevin Hart Roast star also reflected on whether any jokes from his own special crossed a line. Of all the moments in the roast, Kevin Hart said none of the material genuinely hurt his feelings. Still, one moment involving longtime friend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson caught him completely off guard.
“I think uh I think the the the one that caught me off guard [was from] Dwayne,” Hart explained, pointing to one of the most memorable lines from the Kevin Hart Roast event.
Hart recalled Johnson displaying a mugshot of his late father on giant screens throughout the venue, which became an unforgettable highlight for Kevin Hart Roast viewers.
“Dwayne had the picture of my father, and he had a mug shot of my dad, and he goes, ‘Look at my dad. Kev, we both love our dads.’ And he had a picture of his dad in shape, you know, coming from the gym. He’s like, ‘Look at my dad. He’s a tank.'” The Kevin Hart Roast included plenty of surprises, and that was one of the most talked-about segments.
“And then he goes, ‘Look at Kevin’s dad.’ And it was the worst picture of my father I’ve ever seen. The worst picture of my father,” Hart expressed. “It caught me off guard, but it was funny.” Sometimes, as with the Kevin Hart Roast, the impact of a joke lingers with the person being roasted.
Despite the controversy surrounding several jokes from the Netflix event, the Kevin Hart Roast performer defended the art of roasting. Reflecting on his own Kevin Hart Roast experience, he described it as an important comedic skill that requires both talent and trust.
“It’s an actual talent within the idea of roast that comedians have to have to make this work,” he said during the Kevin Hart Roast media tour.
“Well, I think the beauty of any roast is the roastee being game for whatever is going to happen,” Hart said about his roast, which was part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival and added another chapter to the story of the Kevin Hart Roast.
“Sometimes they sit in that chair and don’t really understand what comes with that chair,” he added, remarking on some of his own experiences from the Kevin Hart Roast itself.
“When you sit in that chair, it’s like, ‘OK, have at it. Like, go have a good time.’ Right?” And that, perhaps, sums up the Kevin Hart Roast experience.
The Kevin Hart Roast special also sparked criticism online, with some viewers calling certain jokes offensive. One of the most discussed moments involved Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about George Floyd. Hart later defended Hinchcliffe’s right to make the joke, although he acknowledged that he would not have used the same material himself during his own Kevin Hart Roast special.
