Meet Tony Hinchcliffe, the Comic Whose Racist Jokes Rocked ...

With roughly a week to go before the 2024 presidential election, there is one thing binding Democrats and Republicans alike: disbelief toward stand-up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who bombed onstage Sunday at a rally for Donald Trump’s campaign.

While performing at New York City’s Madison Square Garden at an event that also featured the likes of Melania Trump and Tucker Carlson, Hinchcliffe sparked outrage for his incendiary act—particularly an offensive line about Puerto Ricans. “I don’t know if you guys 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,” said the 40-year-old comic. His mocking of a key constituency has led to backlash from all sides—but Hinchcliffe has said that “comedians should never apologize for a joke.”

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Hinchcliffe told Variety earlier this year that comedy was his “only escape” from his childhood in a “rough, tough neighborhood.” He was drawn to entertainment, in part, because of a distant relationship with his father. “Anytime my father, who would visit sometimes, would come around, my goal was to make him laugh because I thought that would make him visit more,” said Hinchcliffe.

After moving to Los Angeles in 2007, Hinchcliffe began opening for standup comedians like Joe Rogan and Jeff Ross, whom he has called a “mentor.” He also wrote for the Comedy Central roasts of James Franco, Justin Bieber, Rob Lowe, and Bruce Willis. In May, Hinchcliffe sat alongside comics like Kevin Hart and Nikki Glaser to roast Tom Brady on Netflix, which was also home to his 2016 standup special, One Shot.

Since 2013, Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban have co-hosted the popular Kill Tony podcast, which has nearly two million subscribers on YouTube. The weekly live show films outside of Rogan’s comedy club in Austin, Texas. Hinchcliffe’s material appears to have become more political in recent years. Back in 2017, the comic, who was referred to as “The King Joffrey of Comedy,” told Metro: “I have some pro-Trump material, even though I’m not specifically pro-Trump. The material is. I’m pretty much looking at the positives of things.”

Before his headline-making remark about Puerto Rico, Hinchcliffe took aim at “these Latinos,” saying, “They love making babies, too, just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.” Elsewhere in his set, Hinchcliffe floated the idea that “Travis Kelce might be the next OJ Simpson” and quipped, “Every day, the Democrat Party looks more like a Diddy party!” When some of his jokes landed with a thud, Hinchcliffe said: “Republicans are the party with a good sense of humor.”

Celebrities with Puerto Rican heritage including Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin have posted their public support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the aftermath of Hinchcliffe’s joke on social media.

Both sides of the aisle have also come out against Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rico joke, including Republican lawmakers like New York representative Anthony D’Esposito, who wrote that he is “proud to be Puerto Rican” on X (formerly Twitter). He added: “My mom was born and raised in Puerto Rico. It’s a beautiful island with a rich culture and an integral part of the USA. The only thing that’s ‘garbage’ was a bad comedy set. Stay on message.”

María Elvira Salazar, a Republican representative from Florida, wrote that she was “disgusted” by Hinchcliffe’s “racist comment” and that “This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values.” Fellow Florida republican Senator Rick Scott wrote, “The joke bombed for a reason. It’s not funny and it’s not true.” Meanwhile, republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez said, “This is not a joke. It’s completely classless & in poor taste.”

Even the Trump campaign is distancing itself from Hinchcliffe. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” said Danielle Alvarez, a campaign adviser.

Harris’s vice presidential running mate Tim Walz called Hinchcliffe a “jackwad” while on a Twitch stream with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during Sunday’s rally. He also criticized Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria in 2017. “Does anybody remember how he responded to [Hurricane] Maria in Puerto Rico? It was absolutely horrific, down there insulting people," Walz said. "Look, I know that the folks who are on here today understand this—people in Puerto Rico are citizens. They pay taxes and they serve in the military at almost a higher rate than anybody else.”

In response, Hinchcliffe wrote on X: “These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon.”