Ari Shaffir Mocks Kenny Rogers' Death in Wake of Backlash for Celebrating Kobe Bryant's Passing

Ari Shaffir isn't changing his comedic ways. On Monday, Shaffir continued with his schtick of joking about the latest celebrity death. In this case, it was in regards to the passing of Kenny Rogers, who died over the weekend at the age of 81.

Shaffir previously felt heat after his comments about Kobe Bryant after the tragic helicopter crash took the lives of Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others. For that, Shaffir saw strong backlash come his way from both fans of his and those who never heard of him before, while also seeing one of his comedy specials get canceled. In his initial comments about Bryant, he said that he "died 23 years too late" before referencing his prior rape case.

In his latest post, Shaffir joked about the passing of the country music icon.

"Kenny Rogers was so racist he only made roasted chicken because he thought black people would only eat fried," he began. "Also, it's not an island if it's only in a stream, you dumb f---. It's just a piece of dirt."

When I read about Kenny dying my first thought was, “I wonder what Ari will do with this?” (Anyone angry about this: it’s a joke. Ari does this every time someone dies. It’s a joke. It might not be your kind of joke, but it’s a joke)

— Kentucky_Colonel (@Kentucky_Col) March 21, 2020

In this case, the backlash of his remark has been nowhere near that of Bryant's comments.

As for the tributes that have poured in in the wake of Rogers' passing, none have been as emotional as that of Dolly Parton's. The former duet partner of 'The Gambler,' Parton broke down when she began to talk about him during a video she put together.

She explained how she turned on the news to see what the latest was in regards to the coronavirus but she learned of Rogers' death. She said she "couldn't believe it."

"But, I loved Kenny with all my heart," she said. "My heart's broken and a big 'ol chunk of it has gone with him today," she continued. "And I think that I can speak for all his family, his friends, and fans when I say that I will always love you."

Along those same lines, many country music stars shared stories about the impact Rogers had on them and left sentimental tributes for him across social media.