The Big Picture
In these conversations, Kill Tony and the roast are the two stages on which Tony Hinchcliffe became widely known. Speaking with Kill Tony co-host Brian Redban, Joe Rogan is effusive about the show: nearly 11 years in, it has sold out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row and a large theater in Los Angeles [3]. Rogan says the show went against everything the industry claimed audiences wanted, and calls it "the Johnny Carson for comics," because a comic can get their shot on their first time on stage, sometimes in front of an arena [3].
The Tom Brady roast is the outside moment. Hinchcliffe tells Rogan it feels a little weird, because he was content with Kill Tony and wasn't expecting one [1]. Rogan relays that comedian Brian Simpson said he watched Tony "become real famous in real time" around the roast [1]. The attention also brings backlash. Hinchcliffe says he is always surprised that he becomes the story, as he was after the Madison Square Garden rally joke in 2024 [2], and Rogan's longest reflective stretch in that conversation is about outrage culture [2].
Where the Experts Agree
- Kill Tony was the foundation, and the wider fame arrived on top of it. Hinchcliffe says he was content with Kill Tony before the roast [1]. Rogan says Tony's fame grew organically through clips and snuck up on people [2]. With Redban, Rogan credits the show's success to the polish of long practice, a great band and an audience that knows how the show works [3].
- Roasting is a real skill. Rogan singles out Hinchcliffe's genuinely improvised roasts on Kill Tony, especially his exchanges with David Lucas [3]. Roast writing is also one of the subjects Hinchcliffe and Rogan talk through after the Brady roast [1].
- A roast joke is not a statement. Rogan says comedy used to be understood as saying outrageous things you don't mean, and uses a line he often repeats: "Bob Marley didn't really shoot the sheriff." [2] Hinchcliffe praises Tiffany Haddish's blunt response to reporters and says nobody in the room was offended [2].
- Roast jokes can get the facts wrong. Rogan and Hinchcliffe push back on roast jokes claiming Tony took Saudi money, and Rogan notes that Tony and Shane were the ones who turned down Riyadh Comedy Festival offers [2].
Where They Differ
The speakers largely agree; what differs is the emphasis each brings.
Hinchcliffe's account is personal. The sudden attention feels a little weird to him [1], and he is surprised each time he becomes the story [2]. He also describes fame's two sides in one week: he got bumped by another comedian his first night at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, then was treated as the special guest for the rest of the week [1].
Rogan supplies the explanation. Because Tony's fame grew through clips and snuck up on people, he says, Tony is now a natural target for professional outrage [2]. "There's money in outrage," Rogan says, and there's engagement in it: people ride a hot take for as much juice as they can get and then move to the next thing [2]. He dates the change to around 2016, when, with social media's rise, people began treating jokes as statements [2].
With Redban, Rogan's emphasis is different again. There the subject is not backlash but why Kill Tony works and what it gives new comics [3].
One real trade-off appears over the Riyadh Comedy Festival. Tony and Shane turned the offers down, yet Rogan defends the comics who did go, arguing that stand-up, like all art, can change the minds of ordinary people in the audience [2].
Practical Takeaways
- If you are new to Kill Tony, the idea to know is the one Rogan names: a comic can get their shot on their first time on stage, sometimes in front of an arena [3].
- Watch for Hinchcliffe's improvised roasts, especially his exchanges with David Lucas, which Rogan singles out [3].
- For anyone building a show, Rogan's list of what made this one work is the polish of long practice, a great band and an audience that knows how the show works [3].
- Don't assume success needs the industry's blessing: Rogan says Kill Tony went against everything the industry claimed audiences wanted [3].
- Hear a roast joke as a joke. Rogan's reminder is "Bob Marley didn't really shoot the sheriff." [2]
- Be slow to join an outrage. Rogan says there is money and engagement in it, and that people move to the next thing once a hot take is used up [2].
- Check a roast joke's claim before repeating it as fact: the jokes about Tony taking Saudi money are the ones Rogan and Hinchcliffe push back on [2].
- Expect attention to cut both ways. Fame that grows through clips, Rogan says, makes a comic a natural target [2].
Sources
- Tony Hinchcliffe on Joe Rogan: Life After the Brady Roast, Kill Tony, Politics, Pandemic Anger and AI · The Joe Rogan Experience
- Tony Hinchcliffe on Roast Backlash, Outrage Culture, Youngstown's Mob Days, Fighting and Kanye's Globe Show · The Joe Rogan Experience
- Brian Redban on Joe Rogan: Kill Tony's Rise, Talking Politics With ChatGPT, and Plastics in Everything · The Joe Rogan Experience
