Pete Davidson has made waves with a provocative quip about Charlie Kirk during a Netflix comedy special which many fans called ‘completely unacceptable’.
The former Saturday Night Live star, 32, took to the stage for The Roast of Kevin Hart, which was streamed live by the streamer on Sunday night and has since made the rounds on social media.
But Davidson used fellow comic Tony Hinchcliffe – a known Donald Trump supporter – to take shots at Kirk and rapper Kanye West.
‘Tony Hinchcliffe’s here, looking like both a child molester and the doll they give the child to show where he touched them,’ Pete began as he put Hinchcliffe in the hot seat during the three-hour programme.
He then continued: ‘Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk, in that he’s definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat.’
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Kirk, the late right-wing activist and Turning Point USA leader, was fatally shot during a speech on a university campus in September.
The 31-year-old was visiting Utah Valley University with his wife and kids as part of his group’s ‘America Comeback Tour’ when he was shot in the neck in front of horrified students.
He was a close ally of President Trump and an infamous commenter on issues such as trans rights and gun control.
Davidson’s joke was met with shocked reactions and a groan of disapproval, while Hinchcliffe himself pulled a face that showed how close to the bones the comment was, before laughing.
‘We watched it live and I can tell you – that room went actually silent. Even Tiffany Haddish had her mouth wide open,’ claimed Alyssa Mazziotta in the comments section of influencer @onlypatriotjake on Instagram, who claimed the comic was either ‘delusional’ or ‘needed help’ for making a joke about someone who was assassinated, which he described as ‘disheartening, rude and vile’.
‘There is no normal person who would actually bring up someone’s assssination and turn it into a joke. And this is the problem with you people on the left in Hollywood, you think joking about someone’s assassination is funny,’ he added.
‘Really thought he was one of the guys,’ chimed in @valance.queen. ‘Just as VILE as the rest.’
‘These kinds of jokes sicken me to my stomach, it doesn’t matter who it is, these jokes are not okay whatsoever,’ argued Adam Humphries.
‘I hope your career goes in the toilet,’ wrote Becky Blake, while others agreed it was ‘tasteless’ and ‘completely unacceptable’, suggesting it also wasn’t wise with the ‘worst political environment now’.
However, others disagreed, defending Davidson’s free speech – especially given the context of a roast.
‘I was a supporter of Kirk. But it’s a roast, nobody is off limits. They joked about Pete’s dead father from 9/11. They made fun of Cheryl Underwood’s dead husband. Made fun of Kevin Hart’s abusive dad’s past. Nobody is off limits,’ pointed out Robert Portillo.
‘They make jokes about his dead dad all the time. Fair game,’ agreed Joe San Miguel.
Sikwan Kanhai also described the entire set as ‘absolutely hilarious’.
‘Oh, you don’t know me? Yeah. Yeah. Kill Tony! Please. Someone f**king kill Tony!’ Davidson continued, referencing the name of Hinchcliffe’s popular podcast.
He then said, ‘Tony, nothing you say tonight will hurt my feelings. I was in a beef with Kanye, so I’ve taken shots from better gay Nazis,’ referring to chart-topper West taking issue with him after he dated his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, from late 2021 for nine months.
West has recently seen his headline slot at Wireless Festival fall through after he was blocked from entering the UK over antisemetic comments he’s made. The festival was ultimately cancelled.
Davidson also caught heat recently for joking about watching porn in front of his baby daughter, saying it was hard but ‘I power through’.
He welcomed Scottie with his partner, model Elsie Hewitt, in December.
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