Michael Che Exposes All-White Writing Room Behind Kevin Hart Racist Roast

Michael Che breaks down the stark differences between how Black and white comedians approach roasting each other after the Kevin Hart Netflix special.

Michael Che pulled out of Netflix’s Kevin Hart roast due to “SNL” scheduling conflicts, but his real criticism came two days after the special aired on Sunday.

The “SNL” star took to Instagram to break down exactly what bothered him about the jokes that landed during the live event, and his posts cut straight to the heart of a larger conversation about comedy, race, and who gets hired to write these things.

Che’s Instagram posts laid out the difference between how Black and white comedians approach roasting each other.

“White guys and black people joke different,” he wrote. “Black guys roast like, ‘look at this n#### shoes!’ White roasts are like, ‘Slavery, math, slain teens, sex crimes, slurs, family secrets.’ White guys don’t give a f### about they shoes.”

The contrast he was drawing pointed directly at jokes made during the special, including Shane Gillis referencing slavery and lynching while mocking Hart’s height, and Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial George Floyd joke that drew immediate backlash online.

But Che’s real issue wasn’t just the comedians on stage. He went after the writers behind the scenes, specifically calling out the all-white team that included Nick Mullen, J.P. McDade, Mike Lawrence, Dan St. Germain, and Zac Amico.

In a second post, Che sarcastically wrote, “Let’s do a roast celebrating the career of the most successful Black comic in the last 10 years. I love that! Who should we get to write it?” He then shared a photo of those five white men and added, “C’monnnnnnnnn… that’s not funny?”

The roast had 17 credited writers total, with several Black writers also contributing, but Che’s point about the composition of Gillis’ specific writing team resonated across social media.

McDade responded by resharing Che’s post with just the photo and wrote “Don’t swipe,” acknowledging the criticism with a bit of humor.

The Kevin Hart roast controversy continues to spark conversations about representation in comedy rooms and what gets greenlit for mainstream audiences.

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