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Tony Hinchcliffe
Hinchcliffe in 2024
Born (1984-06-08) June 8, 1984 (age 40)[1]
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
MediumComedy, television, webcast
Years active2007–present
GenresComedy roasts, insult comedy, observational comedy, blue comedy, crowd-work
Subject(s)Everyday life, current events, politics, self-deprecation, race
Notable works and rolesKill Tony, Comedy Central Roast, One Shot
Websitetonyhinchcliffe.com

Tony Hinchcliffe (born June 8, 1984) is an American comedian. Since 2013, he has hosted the live comedy podcast Kill Tony, a showcase of professional and amateur comedians who take turns doing one-minute sets. Hinchcliffe is known primarily for roast comedy, having been on the writing staff of the Comedy Central Roast series, and appearing at the All Def Digital Roast of Snoop Dogg in 2016 and The Roast of Tom Brady in 2024. He has released two comedy specials, One Shot on Netflix in 2016 and Making Friends on YouTube in 2020.

Hinchcliffe has a reputation for dark humor and insult comedy which has led to several controversies. In 2021, he was dropped by his agency and lost multiple endorsements after using an anti-Asian slur against an opening Chinese American comedian during his set. In October 2024, the Donald Trump campaign invited him to perform a set at a rally at Madison Square Garden, during which he made jokes subsequently criticized as racist, misogynistic, and antisemitic.

Early life

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, on June 8, 1984,[1] Hinchcliffe was raised by his single mother in the city's north side.[2][3][4][5] He attended Ursuline High School, where he was on the wrestling team,[6] graduating in 2002.[2][4]

Hinchcliffe told the Free Times of Columbia, South Carolina, that he grew up in a tough neighborhood and that he first developed roasting as a defense mechanism.[7] In an interview with Cleveland.com, he said that his insults also got him punched in the face on the school bus on his first day of school.[3] On Ryan Sickler's HoneyDew podcast, Hinchcliffe revealed that his father was married to a woman other than his mother and that his birth was kept secret from her. At the same time, he was unaware of his father's other family until adolescence, thinking instead that his father just travelled a lot for work.[8]

Career

In 2007, Hinchcliffe moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy.[2][4] He started performing stand-up at open mics at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California.[2][9][3] He was hired to work the phones and the cover booth, eventually becoming a paid regular at the venue.[2][5] He also started opening for comedians Joe Rogan and Jeff Ross on tour.[10][9][5]

Hinchcliffe became known at The Comedy Store for insulting other comics and audience members during shows.[3][11] He is also known for broaching uncomfortable and sensitive topics during his stand-up sets.[9][3][11][12] Hinchcliffe's style of roasting[13][3][10] and dark sense of humor appealed to fellow comedian Jeff Ross, known as the "Roastmaster General" of the television series Comedy Central Roast.[3][5][11] Hinchcliffe refers to Ross as his mentor and he helped get Hinchcliffe his first writing jobs.[3][5][11]

Hinchcliffe has written for the Comedy Central Roast episodes featuring James Franco, Justin Bieber and Rob Lowe.[2][9][14][10][15] His contributions to the series include writing Martha Stewart's set for the Justin Bieber roast and Ann Coulter's set for the Rob Lowe roast.[10][15] He has also written for the comedy panel show The Burn with Jeff Ross and appeared as a contestant on the first season of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle.[5][16]

He also appeared as a roaster on the All Def Digital Roast of Snoop Dogg in 2016[9][14] and The Roast of Tom Brady in 2024.[17]

Hinchcliffe's first one-hour stand-up special titled One Shot premiered on Netflix in 2016.[2][13][14] His special was so named because it was shot in one camera take with no edits.[2][14] In 2017, he headlined the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour where he toured 20 American cities in 22 days.[2][13][10]

Hinchcliffe in 2017

Kill Tony

Main article: Kill Tony

Since 2013, Hinchcliffe has produced and hosted a podcast called Kill Tony, a weekly live show recorded at The Comedy Store.[14][13][18] During the show, Hinchcliffe and co-host Brian Redban (of The Joe Rogan Experience and the Deathsquad Network), along with a changing panel of comedians and other celebrities, act as judges for amateur comedians.[18][19] The contestants enter their names into a bucket and are selected at random throughout the show.[18][19] Each selected contestant gets to perform a one-minute comedy set,[2][14][13] followed by a discussion and critique by the panel of judges.[19] The show aims to give young comedians a chance to showcase their talent and build their professional reputation. It sets no limits on topics the contestants can present, allowing for potentially offensive or politically incorrect performances.[20][21]

In September 2020, Hinchcliffe announced that he would relocate to Austin, Texas, to join Joe Rogan and Brian Redban.[22] The Kill Tony podcast relocated to Antone's Nightclub in downtown Austin. The show relocated to Vulcan Gas Company on 6th Street in May 2021. Due to an incident that month with a racist slur, his agency WME released him as a client and Antone's announced that it would no longer work with Hinchcliffe or Kill Tony.[23][24][25] As of 2023, the show is hosted at Joe Rogan's Austin-based comedy club Comedy Mothership. On New Year's Eve 2023, Kill Tony hosted its first live arena show at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.[26]

2021 Austin stand-up performance

During a stand-up set in May 2021, Hinchcliffe was videotaped insulting Peng Dang, an Asian American comedian who had introduced Hinchcliffe after performing the previous set at Vulcan Gas Company in Austin. Hinchcliffe said Dang was a "filthy little fucking chink", followed with a series of Asian stereotypes in a mock Chinese accent, and lashed out at audience members who laughed at Dang's jokes, branding them as "race traitors". The video was later shown on Twitter, went viral and received criticism.[23] As a result, Hinchcliffe was dropped by his agency WME and removed from shows scheduled with Joe Rogan in Austin, and the Austin nightclub Antone's announced that it would no longer be involved with Hinchcliffe or his Kill Tony live show.[23][24][25] Vulture reported that during his set, Hinchcliffe stated that Chinese people came to Austin because of the bats and criticized offended audience members for "believing he was serious".[27] In an interview with Variety, Hinchcliffe stated that the line was a joke and he did nothing wrong, adding that he believed comedians should never apologize for a joke and simply continue with their work.[28]

2024 Donald Trump rally

Further information: 2024 Trump rally at Madison Square Garden § Tony Hinchcliffe

On October 27, 2024, Hinchcliffe performed at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Madison Square Garden. During his set, he described Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage",[29] and joked that "these Latinos, they love making babies, they do. There's no pulling out. They don't do that, they come inside, just like they do to our country".[30] His act relied on several racist stereotypes, talking about carving watermelons with Black people, and making a rock-paper-scissors joke involving Palestinians throwing rocks, and Jewish people "[having] a hard time throwing that paper."[31][32]

Hinchcliffe's remarks were widely criticized as racist, including by prominent politicians such as Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who called him a "jackwad",[33][34] and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican ancestry. Representative Ritchie Torres, also of Puerto Rican ancestry, said that he was "tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage but doing so would be an insult to garbage".[35][36][37][38][39] The Trump campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe's Puerto Rico comments.[40]

Comedy specials

Year Title Distributor
2016 One Shot Netflix
2020 Making Friends[41] YouTube

References

  1. ^ a b Hinchcliffe, Tony [@TonyHinchcliffe] (June 8, 2011). "It's my birthday and facebook doesn't give me a chance to forget it. #27" (Tweet). Retrieved October 28, 2024 – via Twitter. (27th birthday in 2011 places year of birth in 1984)
    Hinchcliffe, Tony [@TonyHinchcliffe] (June 8, 2015). "#KILLTONY 6/8 w/ amazing guests @bryancallen & a special secret guest. Come celebrate my birthday with me @TheComedyStore" (Tweet). Retrieved October 28, 2024 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McIntyre, Michael K. (August 9, 2017). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, a Youngstown native, will push the edge at House of Blues". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h McIntyre, Michael K. (July 20, 2016). "Stand-up comic Tony Hinchcliffe is original, hilarious and a bit mean and he performs in Cleveland this weekend". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c D'Astolfo, Guy (February 4, 2016). "Youngstown native's comedy special is a hit on Netflix Tony Hinchcliffe takes his shot". The Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Hawthorne, Amy (January 15, 2016). "You Don't Know Tony Hinchcliffe... Yet". The Interrobang. Orange Pop Media. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  6. ^ HoneyDew Podcast #44 | Tony Hinchcliffe, YMH Studios, October 29, 2019, retrieved February 16, 2023
  7. ^ Harris, Vincent (August 9, 2017). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Didn't Skip Steps in Growing His In-Your-Face Style". Free Times. Retrieved October 28, 2017. I had to either make people laugh or make them afraid of me making fun of them. It was sort of a defense mechanism. That formed my roasting skills at a very young age.
  8. ^ "The HoneyDew Podcast with Ryan Sickler". The HoneyDew Podcast with Ryan Sickler. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e Harris, Vincent (August 9, 2017). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Didn't Skip Steps in Growing His In-Your-Face Style". Free Times. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c d e Robbins, Caryn (July 6, 2017). "Tony Hinchcliffe's Releases New Comedy Album 'One Shot' 7/21". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d Juul, Matt (August 24, 2017). "Tony Hinchcliffe on being the King Joffrey of comedy – The comic brings his dark sense of humor to Cambridge". Metro New York. New York. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  12. ^ Morneau, Blake (June 26, 2016). "Tony Hinchcliffe One Shot". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c d e Kozell, Isaac (August 7, 2017). "On Tour with Tony Hinchcliffe". Vulture.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Owen, Brent (August 9, 2017). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe: A giant bat and steroids?". Louisville Eccentric Observer. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Gordon, Jeremy (September 6, 2016). "Ann Coulter Was at 'The Roast of Rob Lowe' Because She Didn't Know What a Roast Was. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe: "She is a monster of a human being"". Spin. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  16. ^ Irish, Anni (July 30, 2016). "Recap: 'Roast Battle' Heats Up in Second Night of Comedy Central Special". Flavorwire. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  17. ^ Pat (May 6, 2024). "Tony Hinchcliffe Went For Tom Brady's Jugular Last Night Then Proceed To Destroy Every Single Person On Stage In Record Time". Barstool Sports. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Husband, Andrew (September 18, 2017). "Tony Hinchcliffe on Forging Better Connections With His 'Kill Tony' Audience Thanks To VR Live Streams". Uproxx. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  19. ^ a b c Greenough, Jason (September 25, 2017). "Live Review: Five days of laughs and legacies at the 2017 Boston Comedy Festival". Vanyaland. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  20. ^ Zhu, Eva (April 15, 2024). "Why are so many comedians dying to go on Kill Tony?". CBC Arts. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Ghlionn, John Mac (June 1, 2024). "'Kill Tony': The World's Most Brutal Podcast". Hollywood in Toto. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "The Last Laugh for Los Angeles: The Great Comic Exodus of 2020". PopTonic. September 17, 2020. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c Schroeder, Audra (May 12, 2021). "Tony Hinchcliffe goes on racist rant after being introduced by Asian-American comedian". The Daily Dot. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Let Go From WME After Racist Asian Jokes". TMZ. May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Dillon, Nancy (May 13, 2021). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe dropped by WME and Joe Rogan gigs after slur against Chinese comedian: reports". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  26. ^ Turner, Paige (December 28, 2023). "Here are the top 7 things to do in Austin this New Year's weekend - CultureMap Austin". austin.culturemap.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  27. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (May 14, 2021). "Why Comedian Peng Dang Posted That Racist Tony Hinchcliffe Video". Vulture. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  28. ^ Davis, Clayton (April 26, 2024). "Stand-Up Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe on Defending Matt Rife, the 'Kill Tony' Podcast and 'Never Apologizing' After Using Racial Slur in 2021". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  29. ^ "Tony Hinchcliffe: Backlash after comedian at Trump rally calls Puerto Rico 'island of garbage'". www.bbc.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  30. ^ "As Trump courts their vote, comedian at his rally makes racist jokes about Latinos and Puerto Rico". NBC News. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  31. ^ Oladipo, Gloria (October 31, 2024). "Six racist and bigoted comments you might have missed from Trump's New York rally". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  32. ^ Slattery, Gram; Coster, Helen; Shalal, Andrea (October 29, 2024). "US politicians, celebrities blast Trump-allied comedian for calling Puerto Rico 'garbage'". Reuters.
  33. ^ @KamalaHQ (October 27, 2024). "Gov. Walz and @AOC react to this clip: "When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico 'floating garbage,' know that that's what they think about you. It's what they think about anyone who makes less money than them... I want every Puerto Rican in Philadelphia and Reading and across the country to see this clip"" (Tweet). Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ Gold, Michael; Haberman, Maggie; Goldmacher, Shane (October 27, 2024). "Trump Rally Opens With Insults Aimed at Latino, Black, Jewish and Arab American Voters". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  35. ^ Samuels, Brett (October 27, 2024). "Speaker at Trump rally compares Puerto Rico to 'island of garbage'". The Hill. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  36. ^ Meyer, Josh (October 27, 2024). "Trump-supporting comedian opens rally by calling Puerto Rico a 'floating pile of garbage'". USA Today. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  37. ^ Adeosun, Adeola (October 27, 2024). "Trump Rally Speaker Calling Puerto Rico 'Pile of Garbage' Sparks Fury". Newsweek. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  38. ^ Torres, Ritchie [@RitchieTorres] (October 27, 2024). "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" (Tweet). Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
  39. ^ Bohannon, Molly (October 27, 2024). "Comedian At Donald Trump's NYC Rally Calls Puerto Rico 'Floating Island Of Garbage'". Forbes. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  40. ^ Samuels, Brett (October 28, 2024). "Donald Trump campaign distances itself from comedian's Puerto Rico joke". The Hill. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  41. ^ Tony Hinchcliffe: Making Friends [STANDUP]. The Comedy Store: Kill Tony. June 19, 2021 – via YouTube.
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