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Who is Tony Hinchcliffe? Controversial comedian and podcaster who will ‘never apologize’ for offensive jokes
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Who is Tony Hinchcliffe? Controversial comedian and podcaster who will ‘never apologize’ for offensive jokes

Tony Hinchcliffe is no stranger to controversy, having made a name for himself over the years by insulting audience members, his fellow comics and celebrities.

In his latest rant, the comedian likened Puerto Rico to “garbage” as he took the stage at Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

“There’s literally a floating trash island in the middle of the ocean right now,” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

The comments drew applause from the stadium and have drawn widespread condemnation from Republicans, Democrats and celebrities. Even the Trump campaign is trying to distance itself from the comments as the presidential election enters its final week.

Hinchcliffe’s Instagram account has since been flooded with angry comments from the public slamming him for the joke.

But judging by his record, Hinchcliffe is unlikely to apologize any time soon.

“My position is that comedians should never apologize for a joke,” he said in an interview with Variety earlier this year.

Hinchcliffe has a long history of controversial and offensive comments.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe appeared at Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe appeared at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden (AP)

His refusal to apologize came after he was ousted by his representatives in 2021 following a racial slur about American-Chinese comedian Peng Dang. Footage of him insulting Dang went viral and repercussions followed.

“I knew what I had done wasn’t wrong,” Hinchcliffe said. “It wasn’t even the worst thing I did that week. I couldn’t believe it when that video came out, and it was one of my former openers who did it. It was so baffling to me because it was a joke, and my position is that comedians should never apologize for a joke.

Hinchcliffe has previously made controversial jokes about Sean “Diddy” Combs, George Floyd and the Baltimore Bridge collapse.

Earlier this year, he made headlines after making a mean joke about Kim Kardashian on Tom Brady’s live Netflix comedy Roast.

He was talking about the Will Ferrell movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundyand the famous line “Whale’s vagina” when he switched the subject of his roast for reality star Kardashian, who was in the crowd.

“A whale’s vagina, which reminds me Kim Kardashian is here. There were a lot of black men celebrating her end zone,” Hinchcliffe said.

‘Kim, advice, close your legs. You have more public beef than Kendrick and Drake.

Although the event was a staged roast and guests could expect to be subjected to cheeky jokes at their own expense, many Netflix viewers felt the comments went too far, calling Hinchcliffe’s comments “incredibly misogynistic” and “gross.”

In light of the current reaction to his performance at Trump’s rally, Hinchcliffe shows no signs of backing down.

He hit back at criticism from Tim Walz and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who claimed they took his comments “out of context” and told the Democratic VP candidate to “change your tampon.”

“These people have no sense of humor,” Hinchcliffe complained. “Wish 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.”

The comedian insulted Kim Kardashian in Tom Brady's Netflix comedy
The comedian insulted Kim Kardashian in Tom Brady’s Netflix comedy (Netflix)

He added: “I love Puerto Rico and vacationing there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim…maybe it’s time to change your tampon.’

The comedian grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, which he described at the time as “the crime capital of America.” Hinchcliffe said at school that he was ‘the class clown’.

He moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and joined the comedy circuit, opening for Joe Rogan.

Hinchcliffe wrote jokes for celebrities Comedy Central Roast before moving to Austin, Texas and the Kill Tony podcast with co-host Brian Redban. The podcast gives aspiring comedians a shot at fame by having them perform a 60-second stand-up set before the judges give often cheeky feedback. Kill Tony has 1.89 million subscribers on YouTube and was broadcast to a live audience from Madison Square Garden in August, where it said the film grossed almost $3 million. Pollster.