The fans tuning into Netflix’s first-ever live roast with Tom Brady were in for a rollercoaster. The atmosphere had its ups and downs, however, things quickly heated up, particularly when Julian Edelman took the stage. His joke involving Aaron Hernandez, though meant in jest, struck a chord with many. It also had Rob Gronowski’s jaws hitting the floor.
Julian Edelman kicked off the roast by taking a jab at his former teammate Rob Gronkowski’s playboy reputation. But things took a dark turn when he included an Aaron Hernandez reference, crossing a line for many fans.
“Everyone always asks me how big Gronk’s d*ck is. Now don’t get me wrong, it gets the job done. But there was this other Patriots tight end. Now HE was hung.” Said Julian Edelman.
Hernandez was a former Patriots tight end who tragically ended his own life in prison, by hanging, in 2017. Fans were outraged as Julian Edelman’s joke snippet spread like wildfire on social media. One fan declared, “Netflix won’t have a roast again,” while another chimed in, “These jokes Lowk getting out of hand.”
Others echoed similar sentiments, adding that if a joke digs into such dark comedy, it better be funny enough to offset the seriousness—unfortunately, according to the fans, none of Edelman’s jokes made the grade.
More so, for context, Hernandez tragically took his own life in prison at 27 while serving a life sentence for the 2013 shooting death of semi-professional footballer Odin Lloyd. Aaron Hernandez was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 4th round (113th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He suited up for the Patriots for three seasons, before getting arrested.
Just like Rob Gronkowski, no one on the panel or in the audience saw that joke coming—they all collectively gasped in shock. There’s this unwritten rule in roasts: the deeper you go with the jokes, the better the comeback needs to be to soften the blow. Julian Edelman probably missed that memo.
