Kevin Hart’s roast was a bloodbath — but it could’ve been a lot bloodier.
Comedy writer Madison Sinclair, who worked on the Netflix special that aired Sunday, told Variety some of the best jokes that didn’t make the final cut, including multiple quips about the man of the hour.
“Kevin is one of the few comedians without a single allegation. When he found out about the MeToo movement he was shocked. He was like, people are saying no to things?!” one of the cut jokes read, according to Sinclair.
Another joke that didn’t see the light of day compared Hart to Elf on the Shelf: “Kevin, thank you so much for being here tonight. I know you have such a busy schedule with stand-up… movies… sitting on that shelf every Christmas.”
Hart, 46, was going to face more brutal cracks about cheating on his wife, Eniko Hart, when she was pregnant in 2017.
“Kevin, you are so talented — but you are the worst cheater. With your build, I assumed you’d be better at sneaking around,” read one of the cut jokes.
Another one said, “Kevin, why were you hooking up with women in cars? If you wanted to cheat and get away with it, you should have gone somewhere desolate, a no man’s land, somewhere no one would ever go by any means necessary… like Hart House on La Brea.” The joke referred to Hart’s short-lived vegan fast-food restaurant chain, which closed all operations in 2024.
A different joke about Hart and his wife that was axed said, “Kevin Hart is always on the worst platforms: Quibi, Tubi, the ones he puts on when he argues with his wife.”
Host Shane Gillis and fellow comics Chelsea Handler and Tony Hinchcliffe, who all participated in the roast, were also going to be the butt of jokes that didn’t make it to the live show.
“You might know Chelsea from being on E! for over a decade… she also had a famous talk show for a while,” the joke about Handler read, according to Sinclair.
A joke about Hinchcliffe, 41, compared him to Melania Trump after he participated in Donald Trump’s 2024 Madison Square Garden rally: “Tony is like Melania: The only thing relevant about him is that he opened for Trump once.”
A second cut joke about Hinchcliffe read, “Tony has the license plate iRoast, which is what we all hope for every time he gets behind the wheel.”
Meanwhile, Gillis was going to be mocked for his drinking in a joke that read, “Shane turned down during the Riyadh Comedy Festival because he has integrity… and he can’t go 48 hours without a drink.”
The jokes that did make the final cut for “The Roast of Kevin Hart” attacked his height, his marriage, his career and more by Gillis, Handler, Hinchcliffe, Sheryl Underwood, Teyana Taylor, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Pete Davidson.
Tom Brady made a surprise appearance to mock Hart’s affair and hit on his wife as revenge for Hart dragging the NFL legend for his split from Gisele Bundchen during his own 2024 roast.
Along with taunting Hart, the celebrity participants took shots at each other, with mentions of Jeffrey Epstein, Kanye West being a “Nazi,” Sean “Diddy” Combs’ infamous parties, and more along the way.
“The Roast of Kevin Hart” is streaming on Netflix.
