Wanda Sykes is never one to bite her tongue, and now she’s keeping it real about opting out of the Kevin Hart roasted amid a litany of “racist, sexist” jokes.
Source: Unique Nicole/Michael Simon
Despite having her own special on the streamer, the comedy legend definitely passed on the roast, even when Hart directly asked him to participate. In retrospect, she credits her intuition and principles with saving her from the fallout of the heavily criticized special.
“Kevin called me before it was announced, and I said, ‘No!'” Sykes explained during an interview with Vulture‘S Good podcast. “He said, ‘Come on, Wanda. Come on, it’ll be good. It’ll be good for your special. There’s a special coming out.’ I was like, ‘Kevin, you know I love you, man.’ He says, ‘I know. I know it’s not your thing. I know it’s not your thing.’ He says, ‘You just come in, do your thing and leave.'”
Although she had no idea how it would end, Sykes said she was grateful she passed on it when she had seen “enough” of the special.
“I ate enough to say, ‘Thank God,’” she said. “I went to the Sparks game instead.”
Although she disagreed with many of the things the general public criticized, from a comedic point of view, Sykes felt that the real misfortune was that of the evening’s writers.
“Just lazy writing,” she said when asked what she thought made the special a failure. “I felt the same way about the (Tom) Brady roast. It seems like the roasts are just recycled sexist, racist, gay jokes. Come on.”
With her comments, Sykes joins a long line of other comedians who have criticized the special for being one-note and targeting vulnerable communities, something the comedy world often overlooks. However, Hart has remained steadfast in his position defense of the special, noting its success on the streamer and praising the comedians who participated. Only time will tell if his views will ever change.
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