Tony Hinchcliffe, the comedian and podcaster who caused controversy in October at a Trump rally, has landed a deal with Netflix for three “podcast “Kill Tony” specials and a comedy special.
Hinchcliffe, 40, was slammed by both sides of the aisle for his stand-up set at a campaign rally for then-candidate Donald Trump in Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27.
“There’s a lot going on. Like, 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. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” he said onstage.
“I welcome migrants to the United States with open arms, and by open arms, I mean like this,” he said, with hand gestures signaling “no.”
He added: “It’s wild. And these Latinos love making babies too, just know that — they don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country. Republicans are the party with a good sense of humor.”
Democrats, Republicans, the Trump campaign and various Puerto Rican celebrities blasted the “Kill Tony” podcaster shortly after.
“As a Puerto Rican, I am tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage, but doing so would be an insult to garbage. When casting their ballots at the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) posted on social media.
“Puerto Rico isn’t garbage, it’s home to fellow American citizens who have made tremendous contributions to our country,” Marco Rubio wrote on X.
“I understand why some people were offended by a comedians [sic] jokes last night. But those weren’t Trump’s words,” the Cuban American senator continued. “They were jokes by an insult comic who offends virtually everyone, all the time … because that is what insult comedians do.”
Chairman of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico, Ángel Cintrón, denounced the Texas comedian’s broadside as “unfortunate, ignorant and entirely reprehensible.”
Shortly after the rally, a Trump ally told Rolling Stone, “Who booked this f–king jerk? Never heard of him.”
Trump campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez told CNN, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi also slammed Hinchcliffe. “It’s OK to have different views, and I respect those who think different than me … but going down this racist path ain’t it,” the “Despacito” singer wrote in a social media post.
Hinchcliffe refused to apologize.
“I apologize to absolutely nobody,” he said on his podcast in November.
“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.”
Hinchcliffe hosts a popular live comedy show and YouTube series called “Kill Tony.” His deal with Netflix includes a solo stand-up special, as well as three specials that are spinoffs from “Kill Tony” that will feature panelists judging aspiring comics.
The first “Kill Tony” special will film April 7 at Austin, Texas’ Comedy Mothership, a venue that Joe Rogan founded.
“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,” Hinchcliffe said in a press release.
“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.”
