Pete Davidson's brutal joke about Charlie Kirk sparks controversy during Kevin Hart roast
Topics: Pete Davidson, Charlie Kirk, Social Media, Kanye West
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix
Topics: Pete Davidson, Charlie Kirk, Social Media, Kanye West
Pete Davidson has never been known for playing it safe, with the comedian building his entire career of saying the quiet part out loud.
His appearance at The Roast of Kevin Hart was never going to be any different.
Davidson showed up in typically combative form, taking aim at fellow comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, a right-leaning figure in the comedy world often grouped in the same circles as Joe Rogan.
The two have had previous, and Davidson clearly wasn't in the mood for going easy on his fellow comic.
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Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder, was assassinated last September, triggering a fierce backlash from the political right toward anyone attempting to make light of his death.
Vice President JD Vance and then Attorney General Pam Bondi both threatened action against those who did.
In the months since, Kirk has nonetheless become something of an internet punchline, his face plastered across memes and jokes.
Even Kirk's wife Erika hasn't been immune, with her behavior following her husband's death prompting endless comments online.
Warning: The clip below contains strong language
While onstage at The Roast of Kevin Hart, which was live-streamed on Netflix from the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Sunday (May 10), Davidson opened on Hinchcliffe with a gag about his appearance before escalating quickly: "Tony Hinchcliffe is here, looking like both a child molester and the doll they give the child to show where he touched them.
"Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk, in that he's definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat."
The room erupted with a cocktail of groans, gaps and to be fair, a lot of laughs.
He then took a swing at Hinchcliffe's podcast, Kill Tony, adding: "Please someone f*cking 'Kill Tony'. Tony, nothing you say tonight will hurt my feelings. I was in a beef with Kanye so I've taken shots from better gay Nazis."
Davidson - who previously dated Kanye's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian - appeared to be referencing the rapper's past antisemitic remarks, something he recently apologized for. Back in 2022, Kanye also hit out at Davidson, calling him 'Skete' in a series of social media posts.
It didn't take long for the clip to spread on X, and online opinion seemed pretty much split down the middle.
Those who took issue with the joke didn't hold back.
"It's crazy that we live in a timeline where it's acceptable to speak like this on an innocent man," wrote one user.
"He is joking but he is serious at the same time. These people are glad that you're gone because they don't see you as human."
Another was more blunt about Davidson: "Pete going savage on Tony with Charlie Kirk jab is a sad attempt to stay relevant and the vibe didn't match. He was once cool."
On the other side, people weren't buying the faux-outrage.
"Oh man, the angry comments here. If you're mad about Peter mocking either Charlie Kirk or tony Hinchcliffe, you're a loser," fired back one commenter.
Someone else summed it up by simply writing: "Pete Davidson really work up and chose maximum chaos for this roast."