Tony Hinchcliffe (born June 8, 1984) is an American comedian. Since 2013, he has hosted the live comedy podcast Kill Tony, a showcase of professional and amateur comedians who take turns doing one-minute sets.
๐ญ Early Life and Background
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, on June 8, 1984, Hinchcliffe was raised by his single mother in the city’s north side. He attended Ursuline High School, where he was on the wrestling team, graduating in 2003. He is of Italian descent.
Hinchcliffe told the Free Times of Columbia, South Carolina, that he grew up in a tough neighborhood and that he first developed roasting as a defense mechanism. In an interview with Cleveland.com, he said that his insults also got him punched in the face on the school bus on his first day of school.
๐ฌ Comedy Career Beginnings
In 2007, Hinchcliffe moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. He started performing stand-up at open mics at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California. He was hired to work the phones and the cover booth, eventually becoming a paid regular at the venue.
Hinchcliffe became known at The Comedy Store for insulting other comics and audience members during shows. He is also known for broaching uncomfortable and sensitive topics during his stand-up sets.
โ๏ธ Writing and Roast Work
Hinchcliffe has written for the Comedy Central Roast episodes featuring James Franco, Justin Bieber and Rob Lowe. His contributions to the series include writing Martha Stewart’s set for the Justin Bieber roast and Ann Coulter’s set for the Rob Lowe roast.
He also appeared as a roaster on the All Def Digital Roast of Snoop Dogg in 2016 and The Roast of Tom Brady in 2024. Hinchcliffe’s first one-hour stand-up special titled One Shot premiered on Netflix in 2016.
๐๏ธ Kill Tony Podcast
Since 2013, Hinchcliffe has produced and hosted a podcast called Kill Tony, a weekly live show recorded at The Comedy Store. During the show, Hinchcliffe and co-host Brian Redban, along with a changing panel of comedians and other celebrities, act as judges for amateur comedians.
The contestants enter their names into a bucket and are selected at random throughout the show. Each selected contestant gets to perform a one-minute comedy set, followed by a discussion and critique by the panel of judges.
โ ๏ธ 2021 Controversy
During a stand-up set in May 2021, Hinchcliffe was videotaped insulting Peng Dang, an Asian American comedian who had introduced Hinchcliffe after performing the previous set at Vulcan Gas Company in Austin. Hinchcliffe said Dang was a “filthy little fucking chink”, followed with a series of Asian stereotypes in a mock Chinese accent.
As a result, Hinchcliffe was dropped by his agency WME and removed from shows scheduled with Joe Rogan in Austin. The Austin nightclub Antone’s announced that it would no longer be involved with Hinchcliffe or his Kill Tony live show.
๐๏ธ 2024 Trump Rally Controversy
On October 27, 2024, Hinchcliffe performed at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Madison Square Garden. During his set, he described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage”, and joked that “these Latinos, they love making babies, they do.”
His act employed several ethnic stereotypes, including joking about carving watermelons with Black people and making a rock paper scissors joke involving Palestinians throwing rocks. The Trump campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rico comments.
| Year | Event | Outcome | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Started Kill Tony podcast | Weekly live show at The Comedy Store | Text |
| 2016 | One Shot special on Netflix | First one-hour stand-up special | Text |
| 2021 | Anti-Asian slur incident | Dropped by WME and Antone’s | Text |
| 2024 | Trump rally at Madison Square Garden | Widely criticized Puerto Rico joke | Text |