(BALTIMORE – May 25, 2026) – I did not watch the Netflix Kevin Hart Roast. I want to be clear about that upfront. But by all accounts — and from the few minutes of Dr. Umar Johnson’s commentary that I could stomach before turning it off — what took place on that stage on May 10 crossed a line. And I, for one, am done.
I attempted to open up Netflix. I went from thinking about typing in “Kevin Hart Roast” to immediately, and gladly, canceling my subscription. That is where I am. That is where I believe many of us should be.
Let me ask a few simple questions. Who jokes about George Floyd’s murder? Who makes repeated wisecracks about Sheryl Underwood’s deceased husband — a man who died by suicide? Who sits in a room full of people and laughs at jokes rooted in Black suffering?
Apparently, some very well-paid comedians do. And apparently, Kevin Hart — one of the most successful Black entertainers in the history of this business — laughed right along with them.
I am not naive. I understand what a roast is. I grew up watching them. I know the format. But there is a difference between sharp, boundary-pushing comedy and weaponizing Black trauma for entertainment — for profit.
George Floyd was a human being. His death ignited one of the largest civil rights uprisings this country has seen since the 1960s. His name is not a punchline. His final words are not a setup. And no amount of money, no streaming deal, and no celebrity co-sign changes that.
As for Sheryl Underwood — a woman who has spoken openly and painfully about the loss of her husband — to have his suicide mocked on a national platform is beyond cruel. It is cynical. The fact that she may have laughed does not make it right. Trauma responses are complicated. Her grace in that moment does not absolve those who chose to go there.
Netflix has become a company willing to monetize racial trauma at one of the most racially tense moments in modern America. We are living through a time when Black communities are under attack on multiple fronts — economically, politically, legislatively. And Netflix looked at this moment and said: Let’s package that pain as entertainment.
Dr. Umar Johnson is correct. Pastor Jamal Bryant is correct. What happened was disrespect dressed up as jokes. And it is unacceptable.
What is wrong with us? Have we made so much money, have we become so comfortable, that we have lost the ability to feel? That we sit and laugh while our own history is reduced to punchlines? That we allow our icons to be used as props in someone else’s racial theater?
Kevin Hart is talented. Kevin Hart has worked hard. Kevin Hart has earned his place. But a few pieces of silver do not buy a man’s integrity — or at least they should not. And I say that with sadness, not malice. Because when you have built what he has built, and you have the platform he has, you have a responsibility to your community that goes beyond your check.
I am leading the way on this. I am unsubscribing from Netflix, and I am telling everyone I know to do the same. I am not asking for an apology. Apologies at this point are hollow. I am asking for action.
I am asking every Black household, every conscious consumer, every person who knows the names George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery to think carefully about where their subscription dollars go.
To Netflix’s competitors — whoever steps into this space — learn from this. You do not have to buy our loyalty with disrespect. You do not have to traffic in our pain to build an audience. There is a market for content that uplifts, informs, and respects Black people. Build that. We will show up.
As for Netflix: great job contributing to the erosion of decency at a moment when this country desperately needs to be pulled together, not torn apart.
Sad. Cynical. And not funny. Not even a little.
Doni Glover is the founder and publisher of BMORENews.com, now in its 24th year of covering Black Baltimore, and the founder of the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, now in its 15th year. He is also the host of the Emmy-nominated Doni Glover podcast and The Doni Glover Show on WMAR-TV 2.
— Doni Glover | BMORENews.com | doni@bmorenews.com |
