The Roast of Tom Brady became a true cultural moment in 2024. Now Netflix is making a sequel, and Kevin Hart will be the man to face the fire.
The actor and comedian known for hit movies like Ride Along and Get Hard will be in the hot seat for the live Netflix roast hosted by fellow comic—and fired SNL cast member—Shane Gillis.
Following the announcement, Hart excitedly posted on Instagram with a caption reading, in part, “Bring it B---HES!!!!!! I’m not even close to scared….. this is what I do motherf---ers ….. let’s f---ing gooooooooooooooo…… U better buckle up…. This will be the biggest and the best live event EVER!!!!!!!!!!!"
Hart also claimed that he will be the first proper comedian to be at the center of one of these high-profile roasts, which in recent years have featured larger-than-life celebrities like Alec Baldwin, Justin Bieber, and even Donald Trump. His suggestion does elide past roast victims like Roseanne Barr, Joan Rivers, and Chevy Chase.
Though the lineup of roasters has yet to be announced, if the thrashing Tom Brady received is any indication, things could get ugly.
The Hall of Fame quarterback expressed regret for participating in the roast, which touched on searing details about his divorce, saying he would not have done it again if he had known how it would impact his family.
Hart appears to think new roast reforms are in order in the aftermath of that night. “Moving forward, if they’re roasting someone and there’s like something crazy that they don’t want, then it’s just a conversation beforehand and people just go around it,” the comedian told Bleacher Report in 2024.
Hart may need to start those discussions sooner rather than later, as there’s a lot of material to work with when he takes his seat.
In 2017, Hart admitted to cheating on his then-pregnant wife during a trip to Las Vegas. The incident was used in an alleged extortion attempt to get millions from the comedian, which led him to issue a public apology for his infidelity.
Hart also faced intense backlash for a string of anti-gay tweets that came to light as he was set to host the 2018 Oscars. One reads: “Yo if my son comes home & try’s [sic] 2 play with my daughters doll house I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay.”
Hart later apologized to the LGBTQ community, but the uproar was so great that he backed out of hosting the awards show.
Despite the baggage, Hart comes into the Netflix roast as a true veteran of the format, having served as roast master for the massively popular Brady live show.
The executive producers, Jeff Ross and Casey Patterson, are also holdovers from the first show, which spent three weeks on the Netflix Global Top 10, notching 26 million views to date.
The first special was nominated for an Emmy. Immediately following its success, speculation grew over whether a part two was in the works.
Ross added fuel to the fire last fall when he said he was “pretty confident we’ll have a roast in the spring.”
But he insisted these events are quality over quantity.
“There are a lot of B-list celebrities who want to get roasted. I want it to be like the Super Bowl of roasting,” Ross said. “Tom Brady, I held onto for three years. He retired, unretired, got divorced, then we decided to do it at the Netflix festival. To get a whale sometimes takes a while.”
Fans won’t have to wait too long for the next edition. The roast of Hart is scheduled for May 10th at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
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