Comic Tony Hinchcliffe is apologizing “to absolutely nobody” for his controversial joke about Puerto Rico, which he likened final month to “a floating island of garbage” whereas endorsing Donald Trump for president with a stand-up set at New York Metropolis’s Madison Sq. Backyard.
Within the newest episode of his “Kill Tony” podcast, which was recorded the day after the rally however debuted Monday, Hinchcliffe mentioned the set was “about free speech” and rued being “under attack” by the pundits, celebrities and social media customers who deemed the joke racist.
“I referenced Puerto Rico, which currently has a landfill problem in which all of their landfills are filled to the brim,” mentioned Hinchcliffe on the podcast, which was recorded at Joe Rogan’s comedy membership in Austin, Texas. “I am the only person who knew about this, unfortunately.”
Environmentalist bloggers and regional shops have famous that Puerto Rico does have an precise downside concerning its rubbish, and {that a} aim set in 1992 to extend the recycling charge to 35% has reportedly solely reached between 9% and 14%.
“With that said, I just want to say that I love Puerto Ricans, they’re very smart people — they’re smart, they’re street smart, they’re smart enough to know when they’re being used as political fodder,” mentioned Hinchcliffe on the podcast. “Right now that is happening.”
Hinchcliffe had set his joke up by welcoming migrants “with open arms,” earlier than laughingly utilizing these arms to wave mentioned migrants away. He then famous “there’s a lot going on,” like “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean,” and delivered the vexing punchline: “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
“I apologize to absolutely nobody,” Hinchcliffe mentioned on the podcast. “Not to the Puerto Ricans, not to the whites, not to the Blacks, not to the Palestinians, not to the Jews, and not to my own mother, who I made fun of during the set. Nobody clipped that.”
“No headlines about me making fun of my own mother,” he continued.
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The backlash was actually substantial, as a number of protection prompt Hinchcliffe had killed any remaining likelihood Trump had on the presidency, and celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Aubrey Plaza and Dangerous Bunny publicly denounced the joke — or Hinchcliffe himself.
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Even Rogan, whereas actually supportive of his debatable protégé, argued within the aftermath of the outrage that his stand-up ought to solely be carried out at comedy venues — and never at political rallies — however that Hinchcliffe merely delivered the crass humor he’s identified for.
The native Ohioan is greatest identified for his podcast, which had packed Madison Sq. Backyard for 2 nights of sold-out exhibits in a row the month earlier than Trump’s rally, but additionally broke a Netflix viewing report with “The Roast of Tom Brady” earlier this yr.
“Perhaps that venue at that time wasn’t the best fucking place to do this set at,” mentioned Hinchcliffe in the course of the podcast. “But in any matter, to the mainstream media and to anybody trying to slander me online: That’s what I do, and that’s never going to change.”
