Aubrey Plaza once took a stand at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards, taking aim at a joke that Tony Hinchcliffe made. The comedian referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” during a Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden. Plaza, whose family has deep roots in Puerto Rico, did not hold back.
“I want to respond to the racist joke made at that Trump rally about Puerto Rico,” Plaza said in New York during her speech. “Most of my family is from there. Thankfully, my sweet abuelita isn’t alive to hear such a disgusting remark. She continued with a sharp retort: “But if she were here today, I think she’d say, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go f— yourself.’ And yes, the Wall Street Journal can quote me on that.” Plaza was there to honor basketball player A’ja Wilson as one of the 2024 Innovators.
Aubrey Plaza calls out comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial joke about Puerto Rico.
“Thankfully, my sweet abuelita wasn’t here to hear that disgusting remark. But if she was alive today, I think she would say, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go f— yourself.’” https://t.co/ucQopAR2ON pic.twitter.com/zTJIQdGQKe
— Variety (@Variety) October 30, 2024
One of the many to slam Hinchcliffe’s comment apart from the Agatha All Along star was Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, best known for his 2017 hit Despacito. On Instagram, Fonsi wrote, “We are not OK with this constant hate. These people have no respect for us but still want our vote. I wrote this in English because, yes, we are American too.
In the other news, tragedy has struck Plaza as the actor is struggling with what has happened to her personally, as she lost her longtime partner and husband, Jeff Baena, on January 3. The filmmaker took his life and was 47 at the time of the unfortunate incident.
View this post on Instagram
“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” Plaza and Baena’s family said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.” Plaza and Baena had been in a relationship for 10 years when they finally married in 2021.
Plaza has starred in several films that Baena directed, including Life After Beth in 2014 and the 2017 comedy The Little Hours. In 2004, Baena co-wrote I Heart Huckabees with David O. Russell, marking the beginning of an illustrious career.
