Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe is facing backlash for a vicious joke about Kim Kardashian at Tom Brady’s live Netflix comedy roast on Sunday evening (5 May).
Hinchcliffe, who is known for insult comedy, was discussing the Will Ferrell movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and its famous “Whale’s vagina” line when he switched the topic of his roast to reality star Kardashian, who was in the crowd.
“A whale’s vagina, which reminds me, Kim Kardashian’s here. She’s had a lot of black men celebrating her endzone,” Hinchcliffe began, before directly addressing the Keep Up With The Kardashians star.
“Kim, word of advice, close your legs,” he said. “You have more public beef than Kendrick and Drake.”
The camera then panned to Kardashian who smiled and nodded, as the surrounding audience members laughed.
While the event was a staged roast, and guests can expect to be subject to brutal jokes at their own expense, some Netflix viewers said the remark went too far, branding it “incredibly misogynistic” and “gross”.
“S*** shaming women in front of a crowd of people and making women the butt of a joke for absolutely no reason is so disrespectful,” wrote one viewer, as another added: “And what’s the punchline… misogyny?”
Meanwhile, some viewers remarked that the joke simply “wasn’t funny”.
“That’s a pretty low blow, even for a roast,” added another. “S***shaming and misogyny isn’t funny at all.”
“Why are we giving men a platform to make the most dehumanising and sexist jokes about a woman? Like her or not, you can see how those ‘jokes’ made her feel uncomfortable.”
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The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.
Elsewhere during the roast, former quarterback Tom Brady also made a jab at Kardashian, referencing her ex-husband, rapper Kanye West: “I know Kim was terrified to be here tonight. Not because of this, but because her kids are at home with their dad.”
Kardashian gave Brady an unimpressed look as the crowd applauded him for the joke.
When Kardashian arrived on stage to perform a toast to Brady, she was met with an onslaught of boos, which only stopped when comedian Kevin Hart stepped in to ask the audience to let her speak.
Brady’s Greatest Roasts of All Time is part of the Netflix Is a Joke Fest, which focuses on Brady, a former quarterback known for his 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, taking humorous jabs from some of the biggest names in comedy.
Ben Affleck and Chelsea Handler were among the starry list of celebrities at the event, who would have likely been already aware of the nature of the jokes being made at the event.