Ari Shaffir Dropped By Management After Kobe Bryant Joke

Ari Shaffir
John Davisson – Ari Shaffir
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, Tenn.

Comedian Ari Shaffir’s career appears to be reeling after he made jokes about the death of Kobe Bryant last week. 

The jokes came in the form of a video posted to Instagram by Shaffir, in which he said: “I know there’s a lot of pain in the world and there’s always a bunch of terrible stories. But every once in awhile there is a good story … A guy who got away with rape got his today. Kobe Bryant is gone. I’m here in Charlotte, home of the team that originally drafted him. Maybe he wouldn’t have raped that chick in Denver if he had stayed in Charlotte, with the Hornets.”
Though the video is no longer available on Shaffir’s Instagram, the reaction to Shaffir’s comments was swift, as thousands of negative comments remain on reposts of the video on Instagram and YouTube. 
The Jerusalem Post subsequently reported that his performance at The New York Comedy Club Feb. 4 was canceled due to backlash from his comments. 
A representative of Avalon Management confirmed to Pollstar Shaffir is no longer a client. CAA was the last agency Pollstar knew to be representing Shaffir, but CAA told Pollstar that he is not a client. The Jewish Journal reported that Aqua Talent Agency was Shaffir’s last agency but had dropped him as of Jan. 27. 
His last known record label, Comedy Central Records, could not be reached for comment at press time.
Shaffir’s website appears to have been scrubbed and his Twitter account set to private in the aftermath of his jokes. 
He has since posted an explanation, reading: “Every time a beloved celebrity dies I post some horrible shit about them. I’ve been doing it for years now. I like destroying gods. And right when a famous person dies they’re at their most worshipped. So as a response to all the outpouring of sympathy on social media, I post something vile. It’s just a joke. I don’t really hate any of these people.” 
Shaffir was scheduled to shoot performances of his “Ari Shaffir: Jew” show for a Netflix special at Skirball Center For The Perf. Arts Feb. 7-8. A representative for Skirball told Pollstar the shows are not listed on the Skirball website because they are a private event not affiliated with the venue’s showcase series, but as of press time the shows were still scheduled to go ahead. 
He did report multiple shows in 2019, including a two-night stand at Danforth Music Hall in Toronto April 6 that grossed $61,083. In addition to touring as a standup comedian and his Netflix specials (his last one was “Double Negative”), Shaffir hosts the “Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank” podcast and is a regular guest on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”