The Roast of Kevin Hart left many feeling awkward and uneasy, as if they had the gut feeling they had witnessed something deeply foul. Part of it might be because the roast was less about comedy and more about humiliating Kevin Hart and normalizing the fact that the crowd is full of pedos. Here’s a look at this bizarre event.

In other words, The Roast of Kevin Hart was less about comedy and more about the show-business elite ritualistically humiliating a candidate looking to reach higher ranks in the industry.

There is nothing new about this. The roasting of celebrities originated in the 1950s as an annual tradition of the Friars Club, a private fraternity for entertainers, comedians, and show business figures. The club had an “elite secret society” feel, as it recruited the most prominent people in the industry and gave them ranks (inspired by monasteries), not unlike degrees in Freemasonry. For instance, in 2006, Larry King was the dean, Freddie Roman was the Dean Emeritus, and Jerry Lewis was the Abbot.

Read more: The Roast of Kevin Hart Was a Bizarre Hollywood Humiliation Ritual