Wanda Sykes turned down Kevin Hart’s roast for one reason: lazy writing

Wanda Sykes took one look at Netflix 's Roast of Kevin Hart and said: not for me. She turned it down before the thing was even announced, and now she has explained exactly why. Short version: she has zero regrets.

Why Wanda skipped the roast

On Vulture's Good One podcast, Sykes said Kevin Hart reached out personally ahead of the official announcement, asking her to be part of the dais and pitching it as a handy promo boost for her next special. She passed. Hart, she said, was cool about it and admitted it probably was not her vibe anyway.

"Just lazy, lazy writing."

That was her headline verdict on the special. She also lumped it in with the 2024 Tom Brady roast, saying the recent high-profile roasts keep leaning on the same tired shock humor and slur-based punchlines. Coming from Sykes, who is no stranger to sharp material, that is a pretty pointed critique.

And yes, she has joked about Hart in the past with a smile. While presenting at the Golden Globes, she needled him with: "Kevin is the richest guy in this category, and yet I know he wants it the most. You're a true American, Kevin."

So... did the roast actually work?

Depends on what you are measuring. Numbers-wise, Netflix got what it wanted. The roast pulled 13.5 million views in its first week, enough to hit No. 1 in the streamer’s English TV rankings for that period. That is basically neck-and-neck with The Roast of Tom Brady, which opened to 13.8 million.

Audience response was another story. The IMDb average sits at 6.1, with a lot of complaints about pacing and a runtime that stretched to nearly three hours. The biggest backlash centered on jokes that took aim at George Floyd; Hart later acknowledged those were not tasteful.

Hart is already on to the next one

While the roast stirred up debate, Hart has moved on to a new Netflix movie that is a much cleaner sell: an untitled spy action comedy with Henry Cavill, directed by McG. The hook is fun: two rival spies living double lives start tripping over each other after their wives bond in a Lamaze class. It is based on a short story by Sean Lewis, and the script comes from Adam Nee, Aaron Nee, and Jonathan Tropper. Producing duties are spread among some heavy hitters too.

• Stars: Kevin Hart and Henry Cavill
• Director: McG
• Based on: A short story by Sean Lewis
• Writers: Adam Nee, Aaron Nee, Jonathan Tropper
• Premise: Rival spies, undercover lives, and two expectant couples colliding after a Lamaze-class friendship
• Producers: Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, and Hart's Hartbeat banner (among others)

So, to recap: Sykes passed, roasted the roast, and did not blink. Netflix got the viewership anyway. And Hart is pivoting from being roasted to trading spy banter with Superman. That is Hollywood math for you.