Lately, with all the rally clips, memes and quotes that have been piling up every time I open my phone, I see a new celebrity endorsing one of the U.S. presidential candidates: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The most recent celebrity endorsement of Trump being insult comedian, Tony Hinchcliffe. 

Hinchcliffe is known for his podcast “Kill Tony” and more recently Netflix’s “Roast of Tom Brady,” which rightfully earned him new fans. I have to admit, I even found myself laughing at his set during Brady’s roast. However, the art of insult comedy missed its mark after his opening speech at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally received backlash for racist comments about Latinos, particularly Puerto Ricans– who are U.S. citizens– during a bit on immigration. Hinchcliffe proceeded to use harmful stereotypes and even called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” He responded to the backlash via X, saying “These people have no sense of humor. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there.” His comments and failure to reflect have made me lose respect for him, regardless of his political stance.

Studies have shown that celebrity endorsements increase the votes for a particular candidate. A 2012 study done by Craig Garthwaite of Northwestern University and Timothy J. Moore of the University of Maryland looked at the impact of celebrity endorsements in the election of Barack Obama, particularly that of Oprah Winfrey, who has also endorsed Harris. Their work mentioned how celebrity endorsement isn’t new– in the 1920 election, Warren G. Harding was endorsed by Mary Pickford and Al Jolson, two of Hollywood’s biggest names of the day. 

In terms of Obama’s election, Garthwaite and Moore state “Polling evidence suggests that such effects on consumer decisions may translate to politics, with 23% of Democrats saying that Winfrey’s endorsement would make them more likely to vote for Obama (Pew Research Center 2007).” Other aspects like the demographics of Oprah Winfrey’s fan base and how influential she was considered to be were taken into account and found that Winfrey’s endorsement helped to win over one million votes for Obama.

Of course, celebrity endorsements are great when they are for your candidate, but what about comedians? Can their words be trusted when they are paid to make everything a joke? 

While some may be able to brush Hinchcliffe’s remarks off as insult comedy, this goes beyond any set he has ever done. In a non-political setting, jokes may play into a stereotype, but it is also made obvious that it is just a joke with unharmful intentions. Hinchcliffe’s set-up implied nothing by seriousness– that is the problem. 

Comedians often bring politics into their settings in the world of comedy, rarely does it happen the other way around. However, Keenan Thompson did appear at this year’s Democratic National Convention with an oversized book labeled “Project 2025.” His time on stage had a little bit of humor involved, as does everything Thompson does, but the inclusion of undeterred facts is what separates his speech from Hinchcliffe’s. Thompson used a slightly humorous, yet serious tone as he briefly spoke to various professionals about their jobs and presented the Democratic party attendees and supporters with facts from what was known at the time about Project 2025 to bring to light the real impact of Donald Trump’s plan for office.

Along with Hinchcliffe’s racist remarks, he also called California a “horrendous thing.” There was nothing factual said in his so-called comedy set. Nothing was added or taken away from the argument for pro-Trumpers. Nothing was brought to light other than ignorant, racist remarks. Not once did he have an honest, serious moment with the audience, which is crucial for something as important as a presidential election. Hinchcliffe treated the rally like his home turf, a back-alley comedy club in the middle of nowhere. Not once was there an ounce of sincerity in his speech or a pining for knowledge or awareness.

A comedian’s place for jokes is not a political rally, no matter who they are voting for. Lighthearted quips or tones can be included, but unprecedented racist remarks have no place. Celebrity endorsers of political candidates should have something relevant to contribute to their candidate’s platform. For starters, they should have a reason why they are endorsing the candidate. Hinchcliffe presented nothing of significance nor did he say anything other than already over-stated Republican clichés. The best any celebrity can do for the candidate they  are choosing to endorse is stick to the proven facts.