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Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico "a floating island of garbage" during a Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, but it isn't the first time his racist comments have sparked backlash.
If you hadn't heard of Tony Hinchcliffe before his racist comments at Madison Square Garden, don't worry — you probably won't be hearing about him again after how hard he tanked. And yes, he does have a history of making anti-LGBTQ+ jokes.
The so-called "comedian" is being universally denounced for "jokes" he made about Puerto Rico and Latine people during his speech at former President Donald Trump's Sunday rally in New York City. Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico "a floating island of garbage" and said that Latine people "love making babies."
The 40-year-old is best known for his podcast, Kill Tony, and his appearances during Comedy Central's celebrity roasts, including The Roast of Tom Brady. He was one of about 30 speakers who introduced Trump over the weekend but has drawn the most media attention for his abhorrent remarks — though they weren't the first racist comments that have landed him in trouble.
Hinchcliffe was fired from his talent agency and had two appearances on Joe Rogan's podcast canceled in 2021, TMZ reported at the time, after he insulted a Chinese comic who performed before him at an Austin comedy club by calling him a "filthy little fucking ch-nk" onstage. Hinchcliffe later appeared on the show TRIGGERnometry in 2023, calling the backlash “an orchestrated attack by the Chinese media.”
Hinchcliffe was immediately condemned by Democrats after his comments over the weekend, including vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is Puerto Rican. The two were livestreaming when the comments were made, prompting Walz to call him a "jackwad" and Ocasio-Cortez to say the display was "super disappointing" and "upsetting," adding, "My family is from Puerto Rico, I'm Puerto Rican."
It isn't just Democrats that have condemned Hinchcliffe's comments — Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott called his bit "not funny and not true," adding that it "bombed for a reason." An anonymous Trump ally told Rolling Stone they had "never heard of" Hinchcliffe before, asking: “Who booked this fucking jerk?” Another anonymous GOP donor sarcastically added: “It’s fine, not like Donald Trump needs Latinos to vote for him or anything."
Even the Trump campaign distanced itself from the comments, as senior advisor Danielle Alvarez told Newsweek: "This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."
Several prominent Puerto Rican celebrities have also spoken out against Hinchcliffe and Trump's association with him, including Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin. The three, who collectively have over 315 million followers on Instagram, each reposted a video from Vice President Kamala Harris in which she said Trump has "abandoned and insulted" the people of Puerto Rico at "every chance."
Hinchcliffe has since defended his "jokes," taking to Twitter/X to respond to Walz and Ocasio-Cortez's comments on stream by claiming that he can't be "racist" against Puerto Ricans because he "vacation[s] there."
"These people have no sense of humor. Wild that 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. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there," he wrote. "I made fun of everyone...watch the whole set. I'm a comedian Tim...might be time to change your tampon."
The post references the "tampon Tim" meme, which Republicans have recently attempted to use as an insult against Walz, referencing the bill he signed providing free menstrual products in Minnesota school bathrooms as if it was a bad thing to do. Ocasio-Cortez quickly shut him down.
"Can’t get over this dude telling someone else to change tampons when he’s the one shitting bricks in his Depends after realizing opening for a Trump rally and feeding red-meat racism alongside a throng of other bigots to a frothing crowd does, unironically, make you one of them," she wrote.
