A joke by Pete Davidson about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk has sparked controversy after it landed awkwardly during comedian Kevin Hart’s live roast on Netflix. The last sentence left the audience uncomfortable.The moment happened at The Roast of Kevin Hart at the Kia Forum in California, where several comedians, including Tom Brady, Chelsea Handler, Jeff Ross and Dwayne Johnson, took part in the televised event.Davidson used dark humor and directed part of his set for fellow comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. While comparisons were being made between Hinchcliffe and Kirk, he made a line that elicited groans from the audience.“Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk, because he was definitely on camera letting a guy blow a load down his throat,” Davidson said.
Kirk was the founder of Turning Point USA and was killed during a shooting at Utah Valley University in 2025. References to his death were seen as a cause for public upset.Davidson followed the joke with another comment targeting Hinchcliffe’s podcast title, saying: “Please, someone kill Tony.”The collection also included references to rapper Kanye West, with Davidson saying: “I was in a disagreement with Kanye, so I took pictures of better gay Nazis.”
West previously faced backlash for his anti-Semitic comments, for which he later apologized in a public statement.Despite the backlash to parts of his routine, Davidson praised Hart’s comedic influence. “You’ve always been so nice to me,” he told the host before leaving the stage.The roast format is traditionally known for pushing boundaries, and the Netflix special featured several comedians presenting similarly controversial material throughout the night.
However, Davidson’s statements stood out.Reaction was divided online after clips from the set went viral, with some arguing that no topic should be taboo in comedy, while others said the joke went too far given the circumstances of Kirk’s death.One user commented that although the roast comedy was meant to be extreme, “it wasn’t even funny. Roasts are supposed to be shocking but they’re also funny. And not just shockingly deranged.”Others defended the format, saying performers are expected to take roasting risks and push boundaries regardless of sensitivity.Davidson is known for incorporating personal trauma into his comedies and has often spoken publicly about using dark humor as a coping mechanism. His father, a firefighter, died during the September 11 attacks, a loss that shaped much of his work.The Netflix Roast was broadcast live as part of the platform’s Comedy Festival and was not subject to streaming restrictions, allowing all content to be viewed uncensored.
