The roast of Kevin Hart produced one of the more interesting comedian feuds in recent memory, with Chelsea Handler squaring off against Tony Hinchcliffe and Shane Gillis.
Shane Gillis set the tone early when he introduced Chelsea by noting her ties to a 2010 dinner at Jeffrey Epstein’s home and labeling her a Zionist. That introduction was a calculated move, and it worked. The audience members most likely to cheer on Chelsea roasting Tony, those who oppose his edgy comedy style and political leanings, were immediately put off by the Zionist label.
Since many in that crowd hold strong anti-Israel views, Shane’s introduction essentially neutralized Chelsea before she even stepped to the mic.
Even on Reddit, a platform not known for being friendly to comedians like Gillis or Hinchcliffe, users were praising Shane and pushing back against the idea that Chelsea had performed well. The consensus, even among people who strongly dislike Tony, was that Chelsea’s set did not land the way her supporters claimed.
Part of the problem is that Chelsea wants to be liked. Tony Hinchcliffe leans into being a heel. He courts controversy and does not need the crowd’s approval. Chelsea, on the other hand, has repositioned herself as a social activist and politically conscious voice, which makes it difficult for her to function effectively in a roast setting where her own history becomes fair game.
Her past jokes about Angelina Jolie’s adopted children, including a remark about her then-three-year-old son from Vietnam, made her complaints about offensive comedy look hollow.
The post-roast media tour did not help her case either. She appeared on Don Lemon’s show to air her grievances, and the interview went sideways almost immediately. Lemon praised what he called her best joke of the night directed at Tony, played a clip, and it turned out to not even be about Tony.
Chelsea had to correct him on air, noting she was not even sure Tony had attended the Riyadh Festival referenced in the joke. At one point, Lemon also misidentified a clip of Shane Gillis as Tony Hinchcliffe.
Chelsea called the roast offensive and said some of the material was “really gross,” framing herself as speaking on behalf of women. But given her own record of making racially charged jokes and publicly telling her ex-boyfriend 50 Cent he was “black and can’t vote Republican,” the moral high ground she attempted to claim did not hold up under much scrutiny.
Shane Gillis walked away from the roast with his reputation intact and a fanbase that grew a little larger, while Chelsea’s attempt to have it both ways, landing jokes while also playing the aggrieved party, left most people unconvinced.
