The day the Lakers legend died, Shaffir tweeted a selfie video, saying, "Kobe Bryant died 23 years too late today. He got away with rape because all the Hollywood liberals who attack comedy enjoy rooting for the Lakers more than they dislike rape. Big ups to the hero who forgot to gas up his chopper. I hate the Lakers. What a great day!"
Shaffir, who hosted Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, doubled down in another video on social media, calling Bryant's shocking death a "good story" because "the guy got away with rape." He deleted the post, but not before people took notice. TMZ reports Shaffir was dropped by his talent agency.
On Tuesday, Shaffir published a lengthy statement on Instagram calling the routine "dark comedy" and that he was just making "a joke."
"Every time a beloved celebrity dies I post some horrible s*** about them. I've been doing it for years now," he began. "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 the people."