Tony Hinchcliffe

American comedian and writer

Tony Hinchcliffe

Hinchcliffe in August 2017

Pseudonym| The Golden Pony
Born| Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Medium| Comedy, television, webcast
Years active| 2007–present
Genres| Comedy roasts, roast comedy, observational comedy, blue comedy, crowd-work
Subject(s)| Everyday life, current events, politics, self-deprecation, race
Notable works and roles| Comedy Central Roast, One Shot, Kill Tony
Website| tonyhinchcliffe.com

Tony Hinchcliffe is an American comedian who hosts the live comedy podcast Kill Tony, which is a showcase of professional and amateur comedians who take turns doing one-minute sets.[1][2][3] Hinchcliffe is known primarily for his roast comedy.[4][3][5][6] His one-hour stand-up special One Shot premiered on Netflix in 2016.[1][2][3] He has been on the writing staff of the Comedy Central Roast series.[1][7][2] He also appeared as a roaster on the All Def Digital Roast of Snoop Dogg in 2016[7][2] and the Roast of Tom Brady in 2024.[8]

After a May 2021 set which he opened with insult jokes containing a racist slur, directed against the Asian-American comedian who had preceded him, he was dropped by his agent and lost a number of engagements. Hinchcliffe is currently signed with United Talent Agency.[9]

## Early life

[edit]

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Hinchcliffe was raised by his single mother in the city's north side.[1][5][10][11] Hinchcliffe attended Ursuline High School, graduating in 2002[1][10] where he was on the wrestling team. [12]

Hinchcliffe told the Free Times of Columbia, South Carolina that he grew up in a tough neighborhood and that he first developed roasting as a defense mechanism.[13] In an interview with Cleveland.com he said that his insults also got him punched in the face on the school bus on his first day of school.[5] On an episode of Ryan Sickler's Honeydew podcast, Hinchcliffe revealed that his father was married to a woman other than his mother, and that his birth was kept secret from her. At the same time Hinchcliffe was unaware of his father's other family until adolescence, thinking instead that his father just travelled a lot for work.[14]

## Career

[edit]

In 2007, Hinchcliffe moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career in comedy.[1][10] He started performing stand-up at open mics at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California.[1][7][5] He was hired to work the phones and the cover booth, eventually becoming a paid regular at the venue.[1][11] He also started opening for comedians Joe Rogan and Jeff Ross on tour.[7][6][11]

Hinchcliffe became known at The Comedy Store for insulting other comics and audience members during shows.[5][15] He is also known for broaching uncomfortable and sensitive topics during his stand-up sets.[7][5][15][16] Hinchcliffe's style of roasting and dark sense of humor appealed to fellow comedian Jeff Ross, also known as the "Roastmaster General" of the television series Comedy Central Roast.[5][11][15] Hinchcliffe refers to Ross as his "mentor" and he helped get Hinchcliffe his first writing jobs.[5][11][15]

Hinchcliffe has written for the Comedy Central Roasts of James Franco, Justin Bieber and Rob Lowe.[7][6][17] Hinchcliffe's contributions to the series include writing Martha Stewart's set for the Justin Bieber roast and Ann Coulter's set for the Rob Lowe roast.[6][17] Hinchcliffe has also written for the comedy panel show The Burn with Jeff Ross and appeared as a contestant on the first season of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle.[11][18]

Since 2013, Hinchcliffe has produced and hosted a podcast called Kill Tony, a weekly live show recorded at The Comedy Store.[2][3][19] During the show Hinchcliffe and co-host Brian Redban (of The Joe Rogan Experience and the Deathsquad Network), along with a changing panel of comedians and other celebrities, act as judges for amateur comedians.[19][20] The contestants enter their names into a bucket and are selected at random throughout the show.[19][20] Each selected contestant gets to perform a one-minute comedy set, followed by a discussion and critique by the panel of judges.[20] The show aims to give young comedians a chance to showcase their talent and build their professional reputation. It sets no limits on topics the contestants can present, allowing for potentially offensive or politically incorrect performances.[21][22]

Hinchcliffe's first one-hour stand-up special titled One Shot premiered on Netflix in 2016.[1][2] His special was so named because it was shot in one camera take with no edits.[1][2]

In 2017, he headlined the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour where he toured 20 American cities in 22 days.[1][3][6]

In September 2020, Hinchcliffe announced that he would be relocating to Austin, Texas to join Joe Rogan and Brian Redban.[23] The podcast, Kill Tony, previously filmed at The Comedy Store, relocated to the historic Antone's Nightclub in downtown Austin, Texas. The show relocated to Vulcan Gas Company on 6th street in May 2021. As of 2023 the show is hosted at Joe Rogan's Austin based comedy club, The Comedy Mothership.

During a stand-up set in May 2021, Hinchcliffe was videotaped insulting Peng Dang, an Asian American comedian who had introduced Hinchcliffe after performing the previous set at Vulcan Gas Company in Austin. Hinchcliffe said Dang was a "filthy little fucking chink", followed with a series of Asian stereotypes in a mock Chinese accent, and lashed out at audience members who laughed at Dang's jokes, branding them as "race traitors". The video was later shown on Twitter, went viral and received criticism.[24] As a result, Hinchcliffe was dropped by his agency WME, removed from shows scheduled with Joe Rogan in Austin, and the Austin nightclub Antones announced that it would no longer be involved with Hinchcliffe or his Kill Tony live show.[24][25][26] Vulture reported that during his set, Hinchcliffe stated that Chinese people came to Austin because of the bats and criticized offended audience members for "believing he was serious".[27] Dang stated he did not receive any apology from Hinchcliffe following the incident.[27] In an interview with Variety, Hinchcliffe stated that the line was a joke and he did nothing wrong. He said that he believed comedians should never apologise for a joke and simply continue with their work, which was the approach he took after the incident. Variety also reported that in a October 2023 episode of the podcast Triggernometry, Hinchcliffe claimed that Dang was a "Chinese spy" and the incident was an "an orchestrated attack by the Chinese media".[28]

On New Year's Eve 2023, Kill Tony hosted its first live arena show at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.[29]

## Comedy specials

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Distributor

|
|

2016  | One Shot | Netflix
2020  | Making Friends[30] | YouTube

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k McIntyre, Michael K. (August 9, 2017). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, a Youngstown native, will push the edge at House of Blues". The Plain Dealer. Advance Ohio. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
2. ^ a b c d e f g Owen, Brent (August 9, 2017). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe: A giant bat and steroids?". Louisville Eccentric Observer. Louisville, Kentucky. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
3. ^ a b c d e Kozell, Isaac (August 7, 2017). "On Tour with Tony Hinchcliffe". Splitsider. The Awl. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
4. ^ Kozell, Isaac (August 7, 2017). "On Tour with Tony Hinchcliffe". Vulture.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h McIntyre, Michael K. (July 20, 2016). "Stand-up comic Tony Hinchcliffe is original, hilarious and a bit mean and he performs in Cleveland this weekend". The Plain Dealer. Advance Ohio. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
6. ^ a b c d e BWW Music News Desk (July 6, 2017). "Tony Hinchcliffe's Releases New Comedy Album 'One Shot' 7/21". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
7. ^ a b c d e f Harris, Vincent (August 9, 2017). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Didn't Skip Steps in Growing His In-Your-Face Style". Free Times. Columbia, South Carolina. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
8. ^ Pat. "Tony Hinchcliffe Went For Tom Brady's Jugular Last Night Then Proceed To Destroy Every Single Person On Stage In Record Time". www.barstoolsports.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
9. ^ "Tony Hinchcliffe". January 12, 2024.
10. ^ a b c D’Astolfo, Guy (February 4, 2016). "Youngstown native's comedy special is a hit on Netflix Tony Hinchcliffe takes his shot". The Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
11. ^ a b c d e f Hawthorne, Amy (January 15, 2016). "You Don't Know Tony Hinchcliffe… Yet". The Interrobang. Orange Pop Media. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
12. ^ HoneyDew Podcast #44 | Tony Hinchcliffe, retrieved February 16, 2023
13. ^ Harris, Vincent (August 9, 2017). "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Didn't Skip Steps in Growing His In-Your-Face Style". Free Times. Columbia, South Carolina. Retrieved October 28, 2017. "I had to either make people laugh or make them afraid of me making fun of them. It was sort of a defense mechanism. That formed my roasting skills at a very young age."
14. ^ "The HoneyDew Podcast with Ryan Sickler". The HoneyDew Podcast with Ryan Sickler. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
15. ^ a b c d Juul, Matt (August 24, 2017). "Tony Hinchcliffe on being the King Joffrey of comedy – The comic brings his dark sense of humor to Cambridge". Boston: Metro. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
16. ^ Hinchcliffe, Tony (June 27, 2016). "Tony Hinchcliffe One Shot". Exclaim!. Canada: Exclaim! Media. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
17. ^ a b Gordon, Jeremy (September 6, 2016). "Ann Coulter Was at 'The Roast of Rob Lowe' Because She Didn't Know What a Roast Was. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe: "She is a monster of a human being"". Spin. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
18. ^ Irish, Anni (July 30, 2016). "Recap: 'Roast Battle' Heats Up in Second Night of Comedy Central Special". Flavorwire. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
19. ^ a b c Husband, Andrew (September 18, 2017). "Tony Hinchcliffe on Forging Better Connections With His 'Kill Tony' Audience Thanks To VR Live Streams". Uproxx. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
20. ^ a b c Greenough, Jason (September 25, 2017). "Live Review: Five days of laughs and legacies at the 2017 Boston Comedy Festival". Vanyaland. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
21. ^ Zhu, Eva (April 15, 2024). "Why are so many comedians dying to go on Kill Tony?". CBC Arts. CBC. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
22. ^ Ghlionn, John Mac (June 1, 2024). "'Kill Tony': The World's Most Brutal Podcast". Hollywood in Toto. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
23. ^ "The Last Laugh for Los Angeles: The Great Comic Exodus of 2020". PopTonic. September 17, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
24. ^ a b "Tony Hinchcliffe goes on racist rant after being introduced by Asian-American comedian". The Daily Dot. May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
25. ^ "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Let Go From WME After Racist Asian Jokes". TMZ. May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
26. ^ "Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe dropped by WME and Joe Rogan gigs after slur against Chinese comedian: reports". New York Daily News. May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
27. ^ a b Zhan, Jennifer (May 14, 2021). "Why Comedian Peng Dang Posted That Racist Tony Hinchcliffe Video". Vulture. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
28. ^ Davis, Clayton (April 26, 2024). "Stand-Up Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe on Defending Matt Rife, the 'Kill Tony' Podcast and 'Never Apologizing' After Using Racial Slur in 2021". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
29. ^ "Here are the top 7 things to do in Austin this New Year's weekend - CultureMap Austin". austin.culturemap.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
30. ^ Hinchcliffe, Tony (July 19, 2021). "Making Friends". YouTube. The Comedy Store.

## External links

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* Tony Hinchcliffe at IMDb
* Kill Tony's channel on YouTube