Tony Hinchcliffe’s future as a DraftKings partner is in question after the comedian made multiple racist jokes at former president Donald Trump’s campaign rally Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Hinchcliffe, known as “Kill Tony,” has been a DraftKings brand ambassador for several months, but a source with knowledge of the situation tells Front Office Sports that the sports betting company is evaluating the Austin-based comedian’s status as an ambassador.
Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” said Latinos “love making babies,” used an antisemitic trope and said he “carved watermelons” with a Black rally attendee.
“I made fun of everyone… watch the whole set,” Hinchcliffe said on Twitter/X after his appearance at the Trump rally
The Trump campaign only took issue with what Hinchcliffe said about Puerto Rico. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Danielle Alvarez, a senior advisor for the campaign, said on Twitter/X.
The Bulwark reported Monday that the campaign asked all speakers for drafts of their remarks before they were loaded into the teleprompter. One joke in which Hinchcliffe was going to refer to Vice President Kamala Harris as a four-letter word that starts with “c” was identified and Hinchcliffe was asked to remove it from his set, The Bulwark reported. No other objectionable lines were flagged before Hinchcliffe went on stage.
Hinchcliffe has written eight Comedy Central Roasts, and “tours internationally with Joe Rogan and appears frequently on” Rogan’s popular podcast, according to his official website.
In a since-deleted post on his official X account, Hinchcliffe touted the start of the NBA season last week with a promo code for new bettors. Multiple other recent DraftKings promo posts have apparently been deleted. His account’s most recent mention of DraftKings is currently from June.
Hinchcliffe recently appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay briefly when the show visited Austin earlier this month. He has appeared on The Pat McAfee Show’s digital-only hour that is not broadcast on ESPN.
“The commentary made by Tony Hinchcliffe does not reflect the views of DraftKings,” the betting company said in a statement. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment.
United Talent Agency, the firm that represents Hinchcliffe, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hinchcliffe was let go by his former agency WME after he was caught on video using an anti-Asian slur directed at another comedian in 2021.
