Aubrey Plaza called out comedian Tony Hinchcliffe for his “disgusting” Puerto Rico joke as she presented an award on Tuesday night.
The Parks and Recreation actress took a moment to blast the comedian for calling the U.S. territory a “floating island of garbage” as she took to the stage at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards in New York.
“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,” Plaza said, according to a video by Variety. “Thankfully, my sweet abuelita (grandmother) wasn’t here to hear that disgusting remark. But if she was alive today, I think she would say, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go f**k yourself.’ And yes, the Wall Street Journal can quote me on that.”
Plaza paused while the crowd cheered and applauded her statement before she moved on to the subject at hand – presenting basketball player A’ja Wilson with an award.
Hinchcliffe sparked controversy when he described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” during a rally for Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday night.
His remark sparked outrage among Latinx stars, with Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin sharing Kamala Harris’ campaign material for voters in Puerto Rico, while Marc Anthony subsequently endorsed Harris for U.S. president.
Meanwhile, Despacito singer Luis Fonsi wrote, “We are not OK with this constant hate. It’s been abundantly clear that these people have no respect for us and yet they want our vote. I purposely wrote this in English cause yes we’re American too.”
