Selena Gomez defiantly hits out at comedian Tony Hinchcliffe over controversial garbage joke

Selena Gomez has released a scathing response to the shocking comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Donald Trump’s rally.

For those of you who aren’t aware, Hinchcliffe took to the stage to make a few pointed political jokes for the candidate he was supporting.

However, things really took a turn when he decided to go after Puerto Rico, calling it a ‘floating island of garbage’.

Hinchcliffe said during Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday: “There's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico.”

The crowd didn’t appear to know how to take the comment and provided a very mild response.

Many people have since slammed the comedian's comment, such as actor Aubrey Plaza, who has family living on the island.

Tony Hinchcliffe's joke was not taken lightly (ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

As for everyone else, people who are Democrats, Republicans, and even those on Trump's own campaign condemned the remark.

But this time, it was 32-year-old actor and singer Selena Gomez who had the last word.

After being interviewed by Variety, she explained how she 'strongly disagreed with any comments that were made recently'.

Gomez was born in Texas and has family of Mexican descent.

She added, “I definitely want to stand by my people.”

The singer and actress recently shared a video of herself voting, as she explained that 'people can sometimes forget that the one vote can change everything'.

“Honestly, I’m not ashamed to say this but I kind of—this was my first time,” she told Vogue, in 2020.

“And I’m going to say that, because I've never felt — and this is so true, and I'm now admitting it to people — like my vote counts. Every vote counts. Some people get in their head, and they're like, ‘Oh, well what does it matter?’”

Gomez shot down the comments (TikTok/Selenagomez)

Zoe Saldaña, 46, whose mother is Puerto Rican, also spoke out about his remarks.

She said: “It's sad that today, 2024, there’s just so much poverty in character on so many people that we misname as leaders. We have to pick leaders that really represent who we are as human beings.”

Politicians also threw their hats in the mix, with Congresswoman Maria Salazar writing online: “Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe's racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage’. This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values.

“Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect.”

She added: “Educate yourself!”

Because of the widespread hate, Trump’s adviser Danielle Alvarez stated: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Regardless of whether Trump endorses the message the comedian shared or not, the damage appears to have been done.

Puerto Rican stars have now turned around and asked people to endorse Kamala Harris, who is currently one per cent higher in the polls than her Republican counterpart.

As of right now, The New York Times shared that Harris is sitting at 49 per cent in to polls, while Trump is at 48 per cent, making it a very tight presidential run.