Michael Che is weighing in on the fallout surrounding The Roast of Kevin Hart, criticizing both the tone of the material and the creative makeup behind the event’s writing team.
The Saturday Night Live star, who did not appear during the Netflix roast itself, took to Instagram following the live special to point out what he sees as a fundamental difference between Black comedy roasting culture and the style embraced by many white comedians.
“White guys and Black people joke different,” Che wrote. “Black guy roast like, ‘look at this n**** shoes!’ White roasts are like, ‘Slavery, math, slain teens, sex crimes, slurs, family secrets.’ White guys don’t give a f*** about they shoes.”
In a second post, Che appeared to specifically question the racial makeup of the roast’s writing staff, sarcastically imagining the decision-making process behind the event. “Lets do a roast celebrating the career of the most successful black comic in the last 10 year,” Che wrote. “I love that! who should we get to write it?”
The next slide featured photos of several white comedians and writers reportedly involved with the roast, including Nick Mullen, J.P. McDade, Mike Lawrence, Dan St. Germain, and Zac Amico. The telecast itself credited 17 writers overall, including several Black writers.
Che’s comments arrive after portions of the roast sparked backlash online for jokes involving slavery, racial violence, sex crimes, and George Floyd. During the special, Shane Gillis made slavery and lynching references while roasting Hart’s height, while Tony Hinchcliffe drew criticism on social media for a George Floyd joke.
Despite the controversy, longtime roast veteran Jeff Ross defended the no-limits approach that defined the evening. “People always ask what’s off limits,” Ross told Variety. “Kevin never once said to me, ‘Please don’t do this, please don’t do that.’”
Ross argued the event intentionally embraced maximum discomfort as part of the roast tradition itself. “Nothing was off limits,” he said. “I don’t think there was a single topic from Kevin’s life that didn’t get brought up.”
Meanwhile, Variety also reported that Che himself had originally been expected to participate in the roast but was ultimately unable to appear because of scheduling conflicts tied to SNL.
The larger conversation surrounding the special has now evolved beyond individual punchlines into something bigger: who gets to write certain kinds of jokes, how roast culture differs across comedy communities, and whether modern celebrity roasts are becoming more interested in shock value than actual comedic precision.
Or as Che essentially boiled it down: some people roast your outfit. Other people bring up historical atrocities.
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
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