Tony Hinchcliffe\u2019s recent jokes, including one disparaging Puerto Rico as a \u201cfloating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean,\u201d bombed across the internet \u2014 and fellow comics were among his most vocal critics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hinchcliffe, host of the podcast \u201cKill Tony,\u201d has faced a wave of backlash and ridicule after he made the remark<\/a> at former President Donald Trump\u2019s rally Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He also made crude jokes about Palestinians and Jews, Black voters and Latinos more broadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In comments about how Latinos \u201clove making babies,\u201d Hinchcliffe had said: \u201cThere\u2019s no pulling out. They don\u2019t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, he told a joke about one of his Black \u201cbuddies\u201d and how they \u201ccarved watermelons\u201d together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the swift backlash online, Hinchcliffe defended his comments Sunday, writing on X that his critics \u201chave no sense of humor<\/a>.\u201d A spokesperson for Hinchcliffe did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The situation has added to what has been an ongoing debate in and around the comedy world about humor and political correctness that often centers on understanding when, how and why to push into cultural taboos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent years, a handful of popular comedians have bemoaned the idea that they cannot say certain words or make certain jokes anymore out of fear of offending people. Jerry Seinfeld this month walked back his previous comments<\/a> about \u201cthe extreme left\u201d killing comedy after many online took issue with his view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While boundary-pushing is still often baked into comedy, comedians cannot expect certain jokes to land the same way today as they perhaps would have decades ago, according to stand-up comic Jay Black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you say something racist or sexist or anti-trans or anti-gay, any of those things, you\u2019re not going to jail for that. But if people don\u2019t like it and don\u2019t laugh and they say that was a bad thing to say, well, that\u2019s their right, too,\u201d said Black, who was among those in the comedy industry who criticized Hinchcliffe\u2019s jokes online<\/a>. \u201cYou made a bad joke and did not get away with it because you didn\u2019t present it in a way that was clever or original or spoke to the zeitgeist in such a way to make them laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When comics lament that modern standards of political correctness bar them from making certain jokes, Black said, what they really mean is that they can no longer evade audience pushback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe answer isn\u2019t that the world is too soft,\u201d he said, but rather that previously acceptable forms of racist comedy are now viewed as \u201cso stupid\u201d that many audiences no longer have an appetite for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some comics online did not specifically call out Hinchcliffe\u2019s jokes at the rally but shared broader thoughts about comedians\u2019 crossing the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, comedian Anthony Jeselnik posted a clip<\/a> on TikTok of himself talking about how good comedy should induce laughter, instead of anger. The video has been widely circulated across social media platforms, where people suggested he was referring to Hinchcliffe. Jeselnik did not immediately respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Comedian Marc Maron also lambasted his fellow comics in a blog post<\/a> Monday, specifically calling out those in the industry who have been inviting \u201cshameless, self-proclaimed white supremacists and fascists on their show to joke around.\u201d Maron, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, did not name anyone in the post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of his campaign, Trump has regularly appeared on podcasts hosted by comedians known for their conservative-leaning \u2014 but not overtly right-wing \u2014 counterculture appeal. Recently, he has sat down for interviews with the likes of Joe Rogan<\/a>, Andrew Schulz<\/a> and Theo Von<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hinchcliffe, who has appeared on Rogan\u2019s podcast numerous times, is a prominent name in Rogan\u2019s circle of comedian podcasters. Rogan, a former sitcom star and stand-up comedian, has built a robust following as an unlikely political pundit. The audience for \u201cThe Joe Rogan Show\u201d is 81% men, according to the public opinion and data company YouGov<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some online have also begun to speculate about whether Rogan played a role in getting Hinchcliffe to speak at Trump\u2019s rally. On an August episode of \u201cThe Joe Rogan Experience,\u201d Rogan said Trump should hire Hinchcliffe<\/a> to \u201cwrite bangers\u201d for him on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Hinchcliffe\u2019s joke about Puerto Rico landed poorly across both political parties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a statement Sunday, Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said: \u201cThis joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar,<\/a> R-Fla., Sen. Rick Scott<\/a>, R-Fla., Rep. Carlos Gimenez<\/a>, R-Fla., and Rep. Anthony D\u2019Esposito<\/a>, R-N.Y., were among the lawmakers who expressed outrage at the Puerto Rico joke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n