Wanda Sykes Turned Down Kevin Hart’s Netflix Roast and Says ‘Thank God’: It’s ‘Lazy Writing’ With ‘Recycled Sexist, Racist, Gay Jokes’

Wanda Sykes abstained from Netflix’s high-profile Kevin Hart roast in May, and the comedian is quite pleased with her decision.

Asked by Vulture if she was asked to participate in the live telecast, Sykes said, “I was. Kevin called me before it was announced, and I said, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Come on, Wanda. Come on. It’ll be good for your special.’”

Sykes said “thank God” she chose to attend a Los Angeles Sparks WNBA game instead.

Asked by Jesse David Fox on the “Good One” podcast why the roast went “so wrong,” Sykes said, “Just lazy, lazy writing. But I thought the same thing with the [2024 Tom] Brady roast too. It seems like the roasts are just recycled sexist, racist, gay jokes. Like, come on.”

Sykes is not the only comic who has criticised “The Roast of Kevin Hart.” Variety exclusively reported that Michael Che was initially on board to perform at the event before pulling out due to scheduling. The “Saturday Night Live” star then took to social media to shade the white writers of the roast for jokes about slavery and sex crimes. Even Chelsea Handler, who did participate in the roast, later slammed the host Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe for “gross” material, even going as far as to call the comics “racist” and “sexist.”

Regardless of the backlash, the roast was a ratings hit for Netflix, scoring 13.5 million viewers in one week (that’s down only 2% from the previous Brady roast). The event took place on the final night of the Netflix Is a Joke festival and also featured comics including Sheryl Underwood and Katt Williams and Hollywood stars like Regina Hall and Dwayne Johnson.