On Sunday, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe spoke at the Madison Square Garden Trump rally, where he said, “There’s a lot going on. 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. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
The Agatha All Along actor addressed the comedian’s comments during the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards last night. On stage, she said, “I just wanted to very quickly respond to the racist joke that was made at that Trump rally about Puerto Rico, where most of my family is from.”
“Thankfully, my sweet abuelita wasn’t here to hear that disgusting remark.”
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“But if she was alive today, I think she would say, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go fuck yourself.’ And yes, the Wall Street Journal can quote me on that,” she concluded.
Aubrey joins a number of Latino celebrities who’ve criticized the racist joke. Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Ricky Martin posted videos and comments supporting Kamala Harris on social media. On Instagram, Fat Joe recalled Trump’s abhorrent behavior following Hurricane Maria, writing, “The man threw towels at you and blocked financial aid in Hurricane Maria and you Bori’s think he’s your guy WAKE UP VOTE!!!!” Also on Instagram, “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi wrote, “I love roasts, trust me, I get it, BUT…this is far from comedy. Not now, not against my island, my people. Hell nah! … Going down this racist path ain’t it.”
During a livestream on Twitch, vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz and Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Tony’s words. Tim asked, “Who is that jack-wad?” while AOC said, “When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you. It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them.”
Even some Republicans denounced Tony’s comments. On X (formerly Twitter), Florida Sen. Rick Scott wrote, “This joke bombed for a reason. It’s not funny and it’s not true. Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans!” Congressmember María Elvira Salazar tweeted that she was “disgusted” by the joke, ironically adding: “This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values.”
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