If voters didn’t know his name before Sunday night, they will now after Donald Trump’s rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden in which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe took the podium to make a series of jokes, not all of them. which went down well.
‘I don’t know if you know this, but right now there is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” said Hinchcliffe, whose set also included lewd and racist comments about Latinos, Jews and blacks.
But such content is par for the course for Hinchcliffe, a podcaster and writer known for his edgy, often dark humor and biting commentary — a comedian willing and able to tackle any topic, no matter how sensitive.
Born in 1984 and originally from Youngstown, Ohio, Hinchcliffe grew up in a tough, tough neighborhood of the city of 40,000, known for its high crime levels.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe compared the Democratic Party to a ‘Diddy party’ after citing celebrity endorsements for Kamala Harris.
Hinchcliffe, a podcaster and writer known for his edgy, often dark humor and strong roasts, is a comedian willing and able to tackle any topic, no matter how sensitive. Pictured above in 2017
At school he would love to roast his classmates and develop his comedy skills.
‘It wasn’t just a magical moment; It was almost two decades of continuous practice. The kid who used to roast everyone at school, all grown up, 40 years old, up there, doing what I was created to do,” he told a poll star profile earlier this year.
After moving to Los Angeles, he slowly rose to fame by starting to work at the legendary Comedy Store after moving to the city in 2007 and becoming a regular customer there.
He gained early recognition on the circuit for his work as a writer and roaster on the Comedy Central series Roast, where he wrote jokes for celebrity roasts.
During the pandemic, Hinchcliffe left the West Coast and moved to Austin, Texas, where comedy clubs were still open and where he now records from. Kill Tony, a popular live comedy show and podcast.
The podcast, which began in Los Angeles, began in 2013 and sees amateur and professional comedians perform a 60-second set in front of Hinchcliffe alongside a panel of comedians and guests, who then provide commentary and roast the budding comics.
Hinchcliffe’s Kill Tony podcast, running since 2013, now has millions of listeners and viewers.
Hinchcliffe got his start at the legendary Comedy Store in Los Angeles after moving to the city in 2007.
Hinchcliffe released a Netflix special titled One Shot on Netflix in 2016 and also participated in Tom Brady’s Netflix Roast in 2024.
The podcast, which is now recorded at Joe Rogan’s Austin-based comedy club Comedy Mothership, is currently No. 20 on Spotify’s charts in the United States.
tThe Kill Tony YouTube Channel is extremely popular with 1.9 million subscribers and the million mark was only reached last April. The channel gets between 15 and 30 million views each month and some videos have had more than 20 million views.
A live version of the podcast at Madison Square Garden Stadium earlier this year attracted 25,000 people.
Known for his quick wit and often controversial takes, Hinchcliffe has gained a strong following among fans of unfiltered, boundary-pushing comedy, with a dedicated fan base that appreciates his bold, unfiltered approach.
Hinchcliffe released a Netflix special titled One Shot on Netflix in 2016, which was notable for being filmed in a single continuous take, a stylistic choice that contributed to his reputation as a skilled live performer.
But aside from his success, there have been other offensive comments in the past.
Hinchcliffe was involved in a previous controversy in May 2021, after a clip emerged showing him making racially insensitive comments about Chinese-American comedian Peng Dang.
Hinchcliffe was involved in a previous controversy in May 2021, after a clip surfaced showing him making racially insensitive comments about Chinese-American comedian Peng Dang, above.
In the offending clip, Hinchcliffe began a series of derogatory comments using a racial slur before making jokes about the Asian community that some found offensive and racist.
Hinchcliffe replicated famous June 2020 photo of Trump holding a Bible
During a comedy show in Austin, Peng Dang introduced Hinchcliffe on stage after his own performance.
In the offending clip, Hinchcliffe began a series of derogatory comments using a racial slur before making jokes about the Asian community that some found offensive and racist.
The video went viral and drew widespread criticism online, with many condemning his comments as offensive and inappropriate, especially given the rise in anti-Asian hate incidents at the time.
Hinchcliffe’s supporters argued that his comments were intended as satire and simply a hallmark of his boundary-pushing comedic style, while critics felt he had crossed a line.
The comments led to Hinchcliffe being fired from his talent agency, WME, and several of his scheduled performances were cancelled.
Dang shared his perspective afterwards, stating that he felt Hinchcliffe’s comments were not simply part of an act, but rather entered into offensive territory.
Following the backlash, Hinchcliffe faced professional repercussions, including the suspension of some of his comedy gigs and a hiatus from some of his appearances on larger platforms.
Hinchcliffe largely refrained from addressing the controversy in detail in public.
In May of this year, Hinchcliffe had great success participating in the Netflix live comedy roast of Tom Brady.
But he once again faced backlash for a cruel joke at Kim Kardashian’s expense.
Hinchcliffe says he learned to be funny while in school in Ohio. He is pictured here in 2012.
During a Tom Brady roast in May 2024, Hinchcliffe, left, told Kim Kardashian: “Kim, some advice, close your legs, you have more public problems than Kendrick and Drake.”
Hinchcliffe referenced Will Ferrell’s cameo in the comedy show as host Ron Burgundy, who in the 2004 film said: “Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they called it San Diego, which of course is German for ‘the place of a whale. “vagina.”
“A whale’s vagina, which reminds me that Kim Kardashian is here, a lot of black men have celebrated in her end zone,” Hinchcliffe said.
“Kim, some advice: close your legs, you have more public problems than Kendrick and Drake.”
The camera then panned to Kardashian, who smiled and nodded, while audience members around her laughed.
Throughout his career, Hinchcliffe’s comedy focuses on observational humor, satire and roasts. He has become known for his unapologetic style, which may not be to everyone’s taste.
But it’s that style that was on display on Sunday night with Hinchcliffe once again sparking controversy, but probably also winning thousands of new fans in the process.