Judge for yourself if Rob Gronkowski, 28, crossed a line or not. The New England Patriots player was one of the many stars participating in “The Roast of David Ortiz” on June 22, per TMZ, and Gronk didn’t hold back (probably when he should have.) Gronk cracked a joke about how emcee Josh Wolf, 42, said he didn’t play football. “You wanna know why Jews do play football? To get their quarter back, you cheap f*ck.” Ugh, Gronk. He followed it up with a shot at Adam Ray, saying the comedian’s eyebrows were so bushy that they were “from 5 of 7 countries on Trump’s travel ban list.”
When talking about comedian Sarah Tiana, 39, Gronk went low. Saying she comes from the “backwoods,” Gronk remarked that Sarah “never played baseball, but her dad insisted in coaching her into third base. I met Sarah backstage tonight. Sarah, I feel like a quarterback around you because – I’ll pass. Sarah.” Gronk wasn’t done. After watching the other guests on the dais make cracks about her, he said, “I’m not sure if you’re really a slut, but it’s been fun watching you take a pounding from a group of eight guys.”
Before those zingers, Gronk said that Anthony Mackie’s, 38, portrayal of the superhero Falcon in Captain America: Civil War was impressive because he could still fly even “when he’s not being chased by the cops.” Actually, Gronk said that Anthony’s performance was bad. “It was the worst I’ve seen a Falcon look since the second half of Super Bowl 51.” Okay. That was funny, Gronk. Maybe stick with sports jokes?
To be fair, it was a roast. It’s the type of event that allows people to make the crude, gross, offensive jokes that don’t normally fly in polite conversation. Usually, nothing is off limits but still, someone could go a bit too far. It seems that Josh, Anthony and Sarah took it all in stride and had a good time, so no need to be too outraged. Besides, they probably took turns trashing Gronk (who is often trashed in public.) Fair’s fair, right? Plus, the roast was for a good cause as it raised money for the David Ortiz Children’s Fund.
The event was in part of a weeklong celebration of Big Papi, as the Boston Red Sox will retire David Ortiz’s number, according to the Boston Globe. The ceremony takes place on June 23 before the sox play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Earlier in the week, the city of Boston named a street after Big Papi.
What do you think about Gronk’s comments, HollywoodLifers? Do you think he should have held back a bit or is everything fair game in a roast?