Tony Hinchcliffe, the insult comedian who drew ire for making racist jokes at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally last October, has landed a deal with Netflix.
The streaming platform announced its plans to expand the controversial comic‘s popular “Kill Tony” podcast into three live comedy shows, kicking off April 7, as well as his own stand-up special.
“Myself and our entire crew of Austin comedians, peers, and upcomers are excited for the opportunity to share our chaotic, insane show with a whole new chunk of the globe,” the Texas-based comedian said in a statement.
“It’s the most spontaneous and improvised show that is out there, and the creative freedom given to us by Netflix to keep the show in its pure form is a comedian’s dream and we can’t wait to Netflix and Kill,” he added.
Hinchcliffe, who has amassed over 2 million subscribers on YouTube, sparked backlash for a set performed at the MAGA leader’s NYC rally a week before Election Day. His brand of dark humor was blasted for promoting ethnic stereotypes about Black and Hispanic people, Palestinians and Jews.
But his joke calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” drew the most outrage.
“I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
Two days after the rally, as the outcry continued to grow, Trump refused to apologize for the racist remarks, only referring to the rally as a “lovefest” and saying he had “no idea who [Hinchcliffe] is.”
The 40-year-old comedian, who previously appeared on Netflix’s “The Roast of Tom Brady,” did not apologize for his offensive jokes either, saying the riff was taken out of context and was based on Puerto Rico’s landfill problems.
“I love Puerto Rico and vacation there,” he rationalized. “I made fun of everyone … watch the whole set.”
Since the controversy, Hinchcliffe’s popularity has only steadily increased. On March 1, he sold out Ovation Hall in Atlantic City as part of his current tour.
