WATCH: Hari Kondabolu Discusses Iconic ‘Roots’ Scene in This Smart Joke

By Sameer Rao Jun 02, 2016

Despite what Dave Chappelle might have made people think, make no mistake—the painful topics "Roots" tackles are far from comical. But Hari Kondabolu‘s "Toby" joke isn’t so much about "Roots" as it is about the production’s enduring legacy.

In it, Kondabolu juxtaposes the miniseries’ most iconic—and, arguably, most upsetting—scene with an incident involving a Black woman with a White child in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood. It comes from Kondabolu’s 2014 album, "Waiting for 2042," but this video of the joke hit YouTube yesterday (June 1).

We won’t ruin the punchline; watch it for yourself above. And catch the final installment of "Roots" tonight at 9 p.m. ET.