Ever one to put himself in the firing line, Kevin Hart used his hosting gig at the 2025 BET Awards to roast two of the most controversial figures in the music industry – Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who is currently on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and Kanye West, who has taken to X in recent months to spew racist and antisemitic hatred. Diddy denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty in court.
This, it seems, is fertile ground for a comedy monologue. On Monday night at the Peacock Theatre in LA, Kevin alluded to Diddy's ongoing trial and his alleged 'freak off' parties by telling the audience there would be no afterparties where 'sh** gets slippery'.
'I'm shutting down the idea of afterparties,' he told the crowd. 'No afterparties tonight. None. Take your asses home after this. That's why I did it on Monday. People gotta go to work tomorrow.'
Diddy's alleged afterparties have been a key subject during his trial, with his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, the former escort Daniel Phillip and several former assistants all testifying about their involvement in Diddy's infamous after parties.
'That's where sh** gets slippery at them goddamn afterparties,' Kevin joked. 'We're learning a lot about people, ain't we? We're learning a lot...'
Kevin was hosting the BET Awards, which honour achievements across filmmaking, music and television, in front of a medley of celebrity guests including Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Kendrick Lamar.
Another famous face who was not in attendance, but still got a mention in Kevin's speech was Kanye. Pretending to receive a message, the comedian said, 'Oh sh**, it's Kanye. Yep, he says he's out front, he's waiting for somebody to invite him in. We all saw Sinners, don't let his ass in here, so he could fight somebody, so he can fight Playboi Carti again, okay? Nobody let Kanye in, no! Not tonight!'
This was seemingly a reference to the commotion Kanye and his wife Bianca Censori made on the Grammy's red carpet earlier this year. They were not expected to make an appearance at the awards show before they arrived. Kanye then stood fully clothed while giving directives to Bianca, who dropped her fur coat to reveal her almost entirely naked body in front of the cameras.
Continuing to go through the award show house rules, Kevin then referenced the viral video of rapper Cardi B and her boyfriend, Stefon Diggs, partying on a yacht where he handed out a bag containing a mystery pink substance. 'No yachts, no boats,' Kevin joked. 'Cardi B, no pink stuff. What the f***, none of that stuff.'
However, unlike Diddy and Kanye, Cardi B was in attendance at the ceremony and later received an honour for her work in hip hop.
As Kevin put it, 'The women in hip hop are doing such amazing – I told you guys it's a matter of giving flowers, so I wanna make sure I celebrate this correctly. Shouts out to Cardi B, shouts out to Meg Thee Stallion. Shouts out to Latto, Doechii, just to name a few. You guys are all doing amazing things.'
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).