Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico during former President Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally prompted immediate backlash. While the left was by far most critical of the line, those on the right took offense, too. If Hinchcliffe had listened to advice from Joe Rogan, however, it wouldn’t have happened to begin with. But there is at least one reason the Trump campaign can be glad it did.
The podcaster suggested he once discussed the joke with his comedian friend and warned him against it.
“I tell all comedians, don’t ever do comedy at something that’s not a comedy event,” Rogan said on his podcast Wednesday. “Don’t do it.”
“Don’t ever do comedy at a place that’s doing ‘also,’” Rogan continued. “Is he going to have a bunch of speakers and you’re going to do 10 minutes? Don’t ever do that. It’s a terrible setup.”
Rogan pointed out that the joke is in reference to the island’s waste crisis, which every major news outlet has reported on over the years.
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Hincliffe’s podcast Kill Tony is often filmed at Rogan’s Comedy Mothership in Austin, Texas. Rogan explained that Hinchliffe’s joke awkwardly enough comes from Hinchcliffe reading about Puerto Rico’s real landfill issues. Rogan still wanred his friend once upon a time the joke could get him “stabbed.” (Mediaite)
“That joke kills at comedy clubs. I don’t like the joke, but it kills, and I said to him, it’s just like, if you’re Puerto Rican and you hear that in the audience, you’re like, ‘ahhh,’ but it’s a funny joke, the joke does well,” Rogan said. “But I said to him, I go, dude, that’s the one that’s going to get you stabbed.”
While Hinchcliffe may be “going through the storm” right now, there is one silver lining to the outrage over the joke: It led to President Biden referring to Trump supporters as “garbage," giving the Republican presidential nominee "campaign gold" just days before the election.
