Puerto Rican and Latinx celebrities responded to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist jokes at an October 27 Trump rally. At the New York City rally, held at Madison Square Garden, Hinchcliffe, known for his live comedy podcast, Kill Tony, and roasts, made several disparaging jokes about Black Americans, Palestinians, and Latinos, in addition to invoking antisemitism. “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,†he stated. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.†First, celebs responded on social media, then Aubrey Plaza got in on it at a Wall Street Journal event. Now the stars of Emilia Perez are urging people to vote on the red carpet.
Kamala Harris comes out on top
October 28, 2024: Celebrities who immediately responded included Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin, all of whom endorsed Kamala Harris’s new Puerto Rico policy. On Benito’s Instagram Story, a clip addressed Trump’s response to hurricanes Irma and Maria: “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader,†Harris says in the video. Bad Bunny then posted a succession of three videos, with each one zooming in more on Harris and cutting off parts of her sentence until only “I will never forget what Donald Trump did†remained. J.Lo shared the same clip, along with a post from the Harris campaign about how Harris will “build an Opportunity Economy for Puerto Rico.†Martin posted both the video of Harris and a video of Hinchcliffe to his Story. He also, apparently, attempted to post Hinchcliffe’s comments on his grid, but, in a follow-up Story, he said that “they are shadow banning this post.â€
Unsurprisingly, this is is not Hinchcliffe’s first controversy — in 2021, he was dropped by his agent for saying an anti-Asian slur against a comedian, Peng Dang, at a stand-up show in Austin.
Aubrey Plaza piles on
October 30, 2024 12:00 p.m.: Agatha All Along star Aubrey Plaza also got some jabs in while speaking at WSJ. magazine’s 2024 Innovator Awards on October 29. “Thankfully, my sweet abuelita wasn’t here to hear that disgusting remark,†Plaza said. “But if she were alive today, I think she would say, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go fuck yourself.’†Be careful moving forward, Hinchcliffe, or next she’ll send Patti LuPone after you.
@wallstreetjournal Actress Aubrey Plaza criticized comedian Tony Hinchcliffe for making an inflammatory joke at a Trump rally on Sunday that likened Puerto Rico to a "floating island of garbage."Â "Thankfully my sweet abuelita wasn't here to hear that disgusting remark," said Plaza at WSJ. Magazine's 2024 Innovator Awards on Tuesday night. The Trump campaign released a statement distancing itself from Hinchcliffe's comments. Cover photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards #aubreyplaza #trump #tonyhinchcliffe #wsjmagazine #politics #wsj
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Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez speak their peace on the red carpet
October 30, 2024 9:40 p.m.: Actors Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez both spoke out against Hinchcliffe’s remarks on the red carpet for Emilia Perez. Saldaña had just come from early voting. “I voted today so I’m definitely exercising my responsibility as an American citizen to care for the well-being of my nation, because it’s also my son’s country and it has to be worthy of my children,†she told Variety. Of Hinchliffe’s “jokes†and of Trump, she said “It’s sad that today, 2024, there’s just so much poverty in character on so many people that we misname as leaders.†Saldaña’s mother is Puerto Rican. Gomez, who is of Mexican descent, said she “strongly disagreed with any comments that were made recently. I definitely want to stand by my people.â€