Sheryl Underwood Lands Netflix Deal After Breakout Set at Kevin Hart Roast

Sheryl Underwood delivered one of the most talked about sets of the night at The Roast of Kevin Hart.

Now, the comedian and television host is getting a Netflix comedy special of her own.

The Emmy-winning former co-host of The Talk announced the upcoming special in a new interview with Netflix blog Tudum. She said Kevin Hart is producing the project, which will begin streaming in 2027.

“I’m ready to go to work. That’s all I want to do — work, help people feed their families, spread joy and laughter, and make content. I thank Netflix and Kevin Hart and everybody who played a role in this,” said Underwood.

Hart’s live roast on Sunday, May 10, has faced criticism for some of the jokes — particularly the ones about slavery, the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the suicide of Underwood’s late husband.

Still, she defended the roast in the Tudum interview, and said the exposure has dramatically boosted her profile.

“This Netflix notoriety is allowing me to accelerate the content I want to produce, allowing the world to get to know me better,” she said. “We can bring talent together. We can bring the country together. Through television, radio, social media — across all formats and genres.”

Related: Backlash Grows as Minneapolis Activists Compare Kevin Hart Roast to ‘Minstrel Show’

Underwood received some of loudest applause inside the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, when she clapped back at host Shane Gillis. The moment came after Gillis joked that her husband “couldn’t fly” when he jumped off a building to his death.

“I know it’s some shit in that motherf–g teleprompter, but I’m glad that Shane … stopped at wigga, ‘cause had you said anything that sounded ‘bigger, trigger,’ or anything that sound like ‘n—-r, you wouldn’t have made it out of motherf–king Inglewood alive. You don’t know where the f–k you are. You will respect us in this house. This is the f–king Forum, built by the Showtime Lakers,” she said.

The roast has sparked intense debate, with critics calling it “toxic” and “racist.” Saturday Night Live comic Michael Che called out the roast, and bashed Gillis on Instagram for hiring white writers.

“Let’s do a roast celebrating the career of the most successful Black comic in the last 10 years,” Che wrote in the since-deleted post. “I love that! ‘Who should we get to write it?’” He included a photo of five writers hired by Gillis — Nick Mullen, J.P. McDade, Mike Lawrence, Dan St. Germain and Zac Amico — all of them are white.

Che was far from the only critic. Last week, activists in Minneapolis denounced the roast at a news conference.

They demanded answers from Hart and an apology from MAGA comic Tony Hinchcliffe for invoking Floyd’s name.

“Our community is still experiencing grief and trauma… and instead of allowing our community to grieve in peace, to celebrate George Floyd in peace, we have Netflix comedians making light of the brutal killing of George Floyd. It is unacceptable and it is unconscionable,” said Civil Rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong.