The Roast of Kevin Hart featured some brutal jokes — but one wisecrack about First Lady Melania Trump was cut from the lineup.
The Netflix roast special, hosted by Shane Gillis on Sunday, featured a panel of well-known comedians — Pete Davidson, Chelsea Handler, Regina Hall, Draymond Green, Tony Hinchcliffe and Sheryl Underwood — who took turns making fun of Hart and each other.
Following the night of rowdy roasting, Madison Sinclair, one of the comedy writers behind the event, shared some of the jokes that didn’t make the cut with Variety, including a ruthless crack at the first lady.
The joke targeted comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, best known for comparing Puerto Rico to “garbage” at a Trump rally in 2024. It went: “Tony is like Melania: The only thing relevant about him is that he opened for Trump once.”
It was not immediately clear why the joke didn’t make the cut. However, its admission comes as the president and first lady called on Disney and ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel because of a joke he made about Melania.
Days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Kimmel parodied the event, delivering his own monologue as the event’s MC. Among the gags, Kimmel joked that Melania had the glow of an “expectant widow.”
Footage of the bit resurfaced after the shooting, and even though it took place days before the incident, Melania urged Kimmel’s broadcaster, ABC, to “take a stand” and take Jimmy Kimmel Live! off air.
The president later agreed, slamming Kimmel as “in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings” on Truth Social.
“I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off the air in September last year, over Kimmel’s remarks about right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk’s killing.
Kimmel said that the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Before Kimmel’s suspension was lifted, big names in Hollywood and politics — including former President Barack Obama — quickly condemned the move and raised concerns about free speech.
Several other jokes were also cut from the Netflix special, including ones about Lizzo’s weight, #MeToo and Hart’s participation in the controversial Saudi government-funded Riyadh Comedy Festival last fall.
Hart, 46, who sat on stage during the roast, appeared to take the jokes that did make the cut in stride.
The Roast of Kevin Hart is available to stream on Netflix.
