Stephen Jackson has weighed in on the George Floyd joke made during Netflix’s Roast of Kevin Hart, and he’s making it clear there’s nothing funny about it to the people who actually knew Floyd. The joke came from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who said onstage, “The Black community is so proud of you… right now George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe,” a line that repeated language directly tied to Floyd’s murder and immediately sparked backlash from Floyd’s family and activists.
In a video shared on social media, Jackson — who famously referred to Floyd as his “twin” and became one of the most visible figures in the 2020 protests — addressed people defending the bit as “just a roast.” “You can’t tell people what to be offended by and what not to be offended by,” he said, adding that “everybody laughing until it’s their family member… then it ain’t funny.” He reminded viewers that he marched in 29 states after Floyd’s killing and says he didn’t take “a dime” for it, arguing that someone who actually risked things for his friend is never going to be cool with hearing his last moments turned into a punchline. Complex has a concise rundown of Jackson’s comments and how they connect back to the roast joke here.
Jackson also had words for the online crowd urging him to “relax” or to go harder at Hinchcliffe for their entertainment. He called those people “clowns” and pointed out that many of the loudest voices “ain’t never done [anything] in life” and “can’t even change their own circumstances,” but still want others to “crash out” in public over a joke. “You think people that’s actually successful care about your opinion?” he asked, saying he refuses to let social media pressure dictate how he responds when his friend’s name is brought up in what he sees as a disrespectful way.
@leemerrittesq During Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart,” comedian Tony Hinchcliffe turned George Floyd’s death into a joke while Kevin Hart sat on stage. George Floyd was a real person whose killing helped spark a global movement for accountability and police reform. Turning his final moments into a punchline on a major platform is not harmless entertainment — it’s another example of how casually Black pain is treated. We should not allow George Floyd’s death, or any Black person’s death, to be used this way, and we have a responsibility to say clearly that this is not OK. 🎥: Netflix
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His reaction comes as the Floyd family and several public figures continue to criticise the roast. A spokesman for the Gianna and George Floyd Foundation called Hart’s decision to let Hinchcliffe tell that joke “sad for the culture,” and Floyd’s brother Terrence, activist Tamika D. Mallory and rapper Sukihana have all publicly said the bit crossed a line. BET and other outlets note that the controversy has turned into a wider debate about what should be considered fair game at a roast, especially when jokes echo language used around real‑world violence against Black people. For a broader summary of the bit, the family’s response and the backlash around the Kevin Hart special, BET’s report is a useful second read here.
