Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s criminal history includes OVI charges stemming from a 2004 incident in Ohio, as well as selling liquor to a minor, In Touch can exclusively confirm.
The “Kill Tony” podcast host, 40, was arrested by an Ohio Highway Patrol officer on January 19, 2004, and charged with misdemeanor Operating a Vehicle While Impaired (OVI), as well as OVI Per Se after a breath test found that he was over the legal limit, according to online records viewed by In Touch. Tony was also charged with two minor misdemeanors — driving left of center and a headlight violation.
The driving left of center, headlight violation and OVI charges were dismissed on February 2, 2004. Meanwhile, he pleaded guilty to the OVI Per Se charge and received a $200 fine, as well as a 90-day suspension of his license and six traffic points on his license.
Tony was hit with a separate misdemeanor charge for selling liquor to a minor on January 19, 2004, but that charge was dismissed along with the others on February 2.
Tony was recently slammed for including racist stereotypes in a set of controversial jokes he made at a political rally. It’s not the first time the comedian has come under fire, as the Ohio native was criticized in 2021 for insulting Asian-American comedian Peng Dang and including Asian stereotypes in a stand-up set in Austin, Texas.
After video footage of his set circulated online and received backlash, Tony was dropped by his agency WME and removed from his scheduled shows with Joe Rogan in Austin.
Though Tony did not apologize for his comments during the comedy set, he addressed the backlash in an interview with Variety published on April 26.
“I knew that what I had done was not wrong. It wasn’t even the worst thing I did that week,” he said. “It was so dumbfounding to me because it was a joke, and my stance is that comedians should never apologize for a joke, should never stop working if everyone comes after them and should never slow down.”
Tony has also come under fire in the past for making controversial jokes about Sean “Diddy” Combs, George Floyd and the Baltimore Bridge collapse.
“There’s no room for victim mentality here,” he told the outlet, later adding, “I think people must realize that we are professionals. And yes, sure, we deal with the repercussions of what happens.”
Tony’s manager, Alex Murray of Brillstein Entertainment Partners, told the publication, “Tony has an unapologetic original voice that he has been carefully crafting for over 20 years. He takes the art of stand-up comedy seriously and it shows. He’s one of the best joke writers in the business. In today’s business, there are very few opportunities for a young comedian to be seen. With the popularity of ‘Kill Tony,’ he can make a star in 60 seconds. When it happens, it’s magic.”
Tony had a Netflix special in 2016 called Tony Hinchcliffe: One Shot, which was filmed in one continuous take. However, he’s most known for his “Kill Tony” podcast, which began in 2013. The podcast features professional and amateur comedians performing 60-second sets for a panel of judges, who then share their thoughts on the acts.
