Netflix subscribers are furious controversial US comedian Tony Hinchcliffe has been given a special, threaten boycott

12 March, 2025

Tony Hinchcliffe

Standup Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at a Donald Trump rally last year, has landed a deal with Netflix, prompting some subscribers to consider a boycott.

The streaming platform announced on Monday (March 10) that it will air three comedy specials hosted by the comedian starting on April 7, based on his popular podcast Kill Tony, plus a standalone one-hour standup special.

Hinchcliffe drew criticism last year when he spoke at a rally for then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump, held at Madison Square Garden in New York last October. During his segment, he performed the joke: “There’s a lot going on, like, I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah. I think it’s called Puerto Rico”.

The comments drew criticism from celebrities with Puerto Rican heritage, such as Aubrey Plaza, Jennifer Lopez, and Bad Bunny. The Trump Campaign distanced itself from the routine, which also made remarks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Taylor Swift’s partner Travis Kelce.

During an episode of his podcast, Hinchcliffe remarked: “I apologize to absolutely nobody”, claiming he mocked a number of communities and his comments were taken out of context.

Subscribers have expressed their disappointment at the move. One remarked: “As soon as I found out Netflix had signed to do a ‘comedy’ special with human piece of shit Tony Hinchcliffe, I immediately cancelled my six year old Netflix premium account”.

Another directly tagged the streamer, saying: “Hey, @netflix, I cancelled everything Amazon including Prime over their decision to re-air The Apprentice. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Are you really this week to air such a hateful prick like Tony Hinchcliffe & lose more customers? I hope you reconsider. I know I will”.

One viewer encouraged people to sell Netflix stock, then: “CANCEL YOUR SUB. YOU’LL FEEL BETTER IN THE MORN. AND YOUR FELLOW HUMANS WILL THANK YOU”. Another said: “Hard pass on watching that guy. Do better, Netflix”.

 

The streamer has received criticism before for platforming comedians with controversial views. In 2022, with CEO Ted Sarandos defending the decision to air Dave Chapelle’s special The Closer, in which he expressed transphobic views.

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