Comedian Mike Epps is under fire after bringing a kangaroo onstage during a recent show in Michigan.
The “Hangover” actor performed a comedy show in Detroit Friday for his Festival of Laughs tour that included an appearance by a leashed kangaroo. The kangaroo was brought out by a handler and Epps danced with it. The animal seemed agitated and appeared to take a swing at the comedian.
Angry commenters took to Twitter to criticize Epps for the stunt.
Epps had posted a video of himself feeding a kangaroo with the hashtag #nevertriedtohurthhim among others, but later deleted it.
According to TMZ, the kangaroo is part of a traveling exotic zoo and its handler Javon Stacks ― who went viral last week after he was recorded walking the kangaroo around Detroit streets ― claimed to have proper licensing.
PETA was disappointed, as well.
“Traumatic situations can be fatal to kangaroos — who are not hardy animals — and this individual was subjected to a great deal of stress by being dragged in front of a boisterous crowd and forced to ‘dance,’” PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said in a statement to the media. “PETA hopes the U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct an immediate investigation and that the backlash over this stunt will remind all comedians that there’s nothing funny about cruelty to animals.”
Epps apologized in an Instagram post, claiming he would donate to Save the Kangaroos in light of the backlash.
The Huffington Post reached out to a rep for Epps but did not hear back as of press time.
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