Featured Image Credit: Kevin Mazur / Contributor / Getty
It's far from the first time he's drawn heat for a joke yet Pete Davidson's latest jab caused a stir on social media, invoking Charlie Kirk during a celebrity roast and causing some to think he went too far.
There was a strong collective backlash from the political right following Charlie Kirk's death last September to anyone trying to make light of the event, with prominent political figures like Vice President JD Vance and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi threatening significant action against those joking about his death.
While Kirk was already an incredibly controversial figure on social media that was the subject of ridicule from some areas prior to his death, the months following the assassination have arguably accelerated this to the point where he has been involved in various 'Kirkified' face swaps and injected into colloquial language online.
This level of ridicule has even extended to his widowed wife, Erika Kirk, as her behavior following the death of her husband has been satirized in popular comedy skits.
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There are still plenty of people that are understandably sensitive to people trying to joke about Kirk and his assassination, so Pete Davidson's 'shocking' jab at The Roast of Kevin Hart on Netflix has prompted backlash from certain groups.
Addressing fellow comedian Tony Hinchcliffe – who has been categorized as a right-leaning figure in the comedy world alongside individuals like Joe Rogan – Davidson joked:
"Tony Hinchcliffe is here, looking like both a child molester and the doll they give the child to show where he touched them.
"Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk, in that he's definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat," Davidson declared, with a cocktail of groans, gasps, and laughs unleashing around the room.
He then made reference to Hinchcliffe's podcast 'Kill Tony', asserting: "Please someone f***ing 'Kill Tony'. Tony, nothing you say tonight will hurt my feelings. I was in a beef with Kanye so I've taken shots from better gay Nazis."
Pete Davidson made a Charlie Kirk joke toward Tony Hinchcliffe and calls Ye a ‘gay Nazi’ during Kevin Hart’s roast.
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) May 11, 2026
“Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk, and that’s he’s definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat. Oh you don’t know me? yeah ‘Kill Tony.’ Please… pic.twitter.com/JGmZMX2AAk
Some aren't too happy with the joke, with one user on X arguing: "Pete going savage on Tony with Charlie Kirk jab is a sad attempt to [stay] relevant and the vibe didn't match. He was once cool."
Another added that "it's crazy that we live in a timeline where it's acceptable to speak like this on an innocent man and people will be like 'aww don't be so sensitive, he is making a joke'. Actually no, he is joking but he is also serious at the same time."
One even claimed that, while they're not offended, they "don't think it's really funny, I think it's just cruel for the sake of being cruel."
On the flip side, there were plenty of people who came to Davidson's defense following the joke, with one commenter claiming that "if you're mad about Pete mocking either Charlie Kirk or Tony Hinchcliffe, you're a loser."
