Local Puerto Rican Businesses Refute Reports and Say Tony Hinchcliffe Was Never Part of an Upcoming Event on the Island

Local Puerto Rican Businesses Refute Reports and Say Tony Hinchcliffe Was Never Part of an Upcoming Event on the Island
Credit: Wiki Commons/By Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA

After comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s recent comments about Puerto Ricans and Latinos, a surge of public outrage erupted, fueled by additional remarks and compounded by confusion over his rumored involvement in an upcoming Puerto Rican event. Some local media outlets and social media personalities, including Jay Fonseca, allegedly reported by mistake that Hinchcliffe would be performing at a fundraising event hosted by the nonprofit organization Tech My School. This claim has since been publicly clarified by Tech My School, Gala de Calle Loiza, and Norberto’s Piano Bar. 

In response to the reports, Robert Cobbs, founder of Tech My School — a nonprofit dedicated to advancing education in Puerto Rico — issued a firm statement to address the alleged misinformation.  

“Tony Hinchcliffe never has been invited nor has he been part of the programming for our fundraising event,” Cobbs stated. The event, scheduled for November 1 and 2 at GALA on Calle Loíza, will instead feature two emerging comedians who have no current affiliation with Hinchcliffe. Cobbs said that Tech My School “does not share or sympathize with Hinchcliffe’s recent statements about Puerto Rico” and reiterated the organization’s commitment to fostering inclusive, respectful environments for Puerto Rican communities. 

What Tony Hinchcliffe Said

The controversy traces back to Hinchcliffe’s appearance at a New York rally, where his comments about Puerto Rico and Latinos were not well received. In addition to referring to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage in the ocean,” Hinchcliffe continued with comments about Latinos in general. “These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do,” he said. “There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They c— inside, just like they did to our country.” These comments provoked a wave of condemnation across social media. 

Cobbs also used the opportunity to spotlight Tech My School’s mission. Since its founding, the organization has worked tirelessly to support education in Puerto Rico, providing technology access and training to students and teachers across the island. He expressed gratitude for the public’s support, reiterating that Hinchcliffe’s past associations with other comedians in no way influence Tech My School’s values or its choice of talent for this event. 

Others Weighed In Too 

In light of the public reaction and the alleged misunderstanding over Hinchcliffe’s involvement, GALA quickly announced the cancellation of Tech My School’s event to distance both the venue and the organization from any perceived association with the comedian. “We value respect for our culture and community. Puerto Rico deserves respect,” GALA stated in a public post. 

According to local media personality Molusco, the other location that allegedly had ties with this event, Norberto’s Piano Bar, also weighed in. In a message retrieved from the bar’s social media, the bar explained that due to the misinformation shared by Jay Fonseca, they had decided to cancel the upcoming comedy event, which was going to be hosted by Tech My School; the event was originally scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd. 

Credit: Instagram/ @norbetospianobar

Later on, they made another post directed at Fonseca.

“You have caused a lot of disaster and chaos,” the post said in Spanish. “People are harassing us and leaving us 1-star reviews on Google since you are sharing wrong information.”  

BELatina News reached out to Fonseca for a quote, but he hasn’t replied.  

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