Chelsea Handler criticizes jokes by Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe on Netflix roast

Comedian Chelsea Handler has publicly criticized jokes made by fellow performers Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe during Netflix's recent live broadcast of "The Roast of Kevin Hart." Handler described some of the material as racist, disgusting, and unacceptable.

During an appearance on the podcast "Funny Knowing You," Handler stated she was aware of Gillis and Hinchcliffe's reputations, calling them racists, bigots, and sexists. She singled out a joke Gillis made about Hart's height, in which Gillis said Hart is so short they would have to lynch him from a bonsai tree. Gillis reportedly said the joke took three weeks of deliberation. Handler argued that joking about lynching Black people is not acceptable, equating it to joking about assault. She said lynching is not a joke and that such material is gross.

Handler also criticized jokes made about the late husband of fellow roaster Sheryl Underwood, who died by suicide in 1990. Gillis had stated during the roast that he cleared those jokes with Underwood beforehand. While Handler acknowledged Underwood's potential approval, she said she personally found the jokes disgusting. She concluded that Hart deserved an elevated roast and...