‘I apologize to absolutely nobody’: Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe blasted for Puerto Rico joke again defense his set

Tony Hinchcliffe, the controversial comedian who faced backlash for calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during a Donald Trump rally, remains unapologetic about his ill-received joke.

“I apologize to absolutely nobody,” Hinchcliffe said to thunderous applause at the top of his live podcast and comedy show Kill Tony , which was recorded in October.

“Not to the Puerto Ricans. Not to the whites. Not to the Blacks. Not to the Palestinians. Not to the Jews,” he added, “and not to my own mother, who I made fun of during the set.”

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe said he apologizes to ‘nobody’ after his ill-received joke about Puerto Rico during a Trump rally (AP)

It is the second time Hinchcliffe has publicly doubled down on making the joke at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in October. The comedian, known for insult comedy and dark humor, joked that Puerto Rico was “literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean.”

Critics accused Hinchcliffe of being racist but the comedian insisted it was just part of his set and that people cherry-picked the joke.

During his live podcast, Hinchcliffe reminded his audience that the joke is based on a fact. For years, Puerto Rico has been trying to tackle a landfill problem. The Biden administration directed more than $3 billion to help clean up a landfill.

“I guess I’m the only person who knew about this, unfortunately,” Hinchcliffe joked.

Though it may be based in truth, multiple lawmakers and political analysts scolded Hinchcliffe for making the joke. Some hypothesized it could cause enough damage to hurt Trump’s chances of winning over Puerto Rican voters. 

Critics accused Hinchcliffe of being racist but the comedian insisted it was just part of his set and that people cherry-picked the joke (AP)

Even Trump’s campaign distanced themselves from the comedian after the joke landed flat.

But, the 2024 presidential election results indicate the joke had little impact on Trump’s overall performance as he swept votes in all seven battleground states.

“I just want to say that I’ve been to – I love Puerto Ricans, they’re very smart people, they’re smart, they’re street smart, and they’re smart enough to know when they’re being used as political fodder,” Hinchcliffe said.

He admitted that “perhaps that venue” was not the best place to make jokes that push the envelope. Still, Hinchcliffe said he would not, and will not, apologize.

“That’s what I do, I go hard and that’s never going to change,” he said.