More people have shared this particular photo from the Kia Forum in Inglewood on May 10 than any of the jokes from that evening. Regina Hall is seated in the roasters’ row, observing the events with a look that veers between genuine discomfort and studied patience. The audience is laughing all around her. For the cameras, Draymond Green is robbing people. When a joke doesn’t quite work, Shane Gillis does whatever Shane Gillis does. Hall is just observing. Even so. not clearly having fun in the manner that the format demands.
As part of the platform’s Is a Joke comedy festival, The Roast of Kevin Hart was broadcast live on Netflix on May 10. It ran for almost three hours from the Kia Forum and featured a lineup that included Chelsea Handler, Pete Davidson, Jeff Ross, Tony Hinchcliffe, Sheryl Underwood, and Hall herself. Tom Brady, The Rock, and Venus and Serena Williams made brief appearances. Sitting in the chair, 46-year-old Hart took in jokes about his height, his films, his father’s desertion, his 2013 DUI, his 2017 cheating scandal, and the general dependability of his film output as a vehicle for failing careers. It was quite a bit. It’s a long time to aim for three hours.
Her place on stage felt more significant than a typical celebrity roaster booking because Hall and Hart have worked together on nine projects over the course of more than 20 years, according to those who keep track. She leaned into that history in the most unexpected way possible when she took the microphone. After telling the audience that she had been able to speak with Hart’s late mother, Nancy, Hall went on to convey messages from the afterlife: “Nancy missed his movies, but they don’t reach heaven because it’s heaven,” Hall said. But from the other location, his father is having fun with them all. Hart appeared genuinely taken aback. In contrast to much of the evening’s more laborious material, the bit landed cold, precise, and oddly impactful.
| Event | The Roast of Kevin Hart — Netflix Is a Joke Festival |
| Date | May 10, 2026 (livestreamed globally on Netflix) |
| Venue | Kia Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Host | Shane Gillis |
| Roasters | Chelsea Handler, Pete Davidson, Jeff Ross, Tony Hinchcliffe, Draymond Green, Regina Hall, Sheryl Underwood |
| Surprise Appearances | Tom Brady, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Venus and Serena Williams, Usher |
| Format | Approximately three hours; broadcast live |
| Regina Hall’s Role | Roaster; longtime collaborator with Kevin Hart across nine projects over 20+ years; reportedly a last-minute addition to the lineup |
| Hall’s Standout Moment | Delivered messages “from beyond” from Hart’s late mother Nancy Hart; joked Hart’s father was watching his movies “down there” |
| Tom Brady’s Appearance | Brief cameo specifically to mock Hart over the 2017 Las Vegas cheating scandal involving model Montia Sabbag — widely seen as payback for Hart roasting Brady at Netflix’s 2024 Brady special |
| Most Discussed Moment (Controversy) | Tony Hinchcliffe joke referencing George Floyd — condemned by Floyd’s family |
| Removed Jokes | Material targeting Lizzo, the #MeToo movement, and the Saudi-backed Riyadh Comedy Festival — cut before broadcast |
| Post-Event | Kevin Hart posted Instagram video praising all participants; Hall has not publicly commented on her demeanor |
| Streaming | Available on Netflix |
Many viewers felt the night was a little uneven because of that contrast. After the livestream, the general consensus on Reddit was that it didn’t feel like a roast. One commenter described it as “like the late-stage capitalism version of a roast”—scripted, cautious, and more concerned with going viral than being authentic. There was a different vibe to the Brady special two years ago; it seemed like people wanted to be there. Here, a number of roasters publicly acknowledged the teleprompter, made reference to their own compensation, and expressed regret following punchlines in ways that consistently undermined the jokes’ razor-sharpness. Jeff Ross, dressed in Eddie Murphy’s iconic red leather ensemble, most likely gave the most technically impressive performance of the evening. In his role as host, Shane Gillis found it difficult to read a room that didn’t seem to know what it wanted.
The most contextually significant moment was Tom Brady’s cameo. He came specifically to revisit the 2017 Las Vegas scandal, in which Hart was caught on camera with model Montia Sabbag. This incident resulted in a public apology to his wife Eniko and years of unspoken awkwardness around anyone with a microphone. Before the full roast started, Brady wisely left the building after making the reference and taking in the response. It read precisely as it was supposed to: a clean hit, a graceful retreat. Hart accepted it with the poise of someone who had anticipated it, having spent the 2024 Brady special methodically examining every angle on the former quarterback’s marriages and career.
Then, for the remainder of the evening, there was Hall’s expression. For the next 48 hours, social media generated theories. Some speculated that she was added at the last minute, giving other roasters no time to prepare content about her. This would account for both her obvious discomfort and the noticeable lack of jokes about her. Others interpreted her behavior as a subliminal editorial critique of the events. After the event, Hart claimed that everyone understood the assignment and described her performance as “perfect” in an Instagram video. Whether Hall’s silence on the subject is intentional or just unimportant to her is still up for debate. In any case, her face became the focal point of the evening; it was watchful, unsmiling, and more memorable than the majority of the jokes that surrounded it.
