Kevin Hart thinks Tom Brady branded his Netflix Roast “bittersweet” as he wanted to “protect” his family.

The comic, 45, spoke out after retired NFL star Tom, 46, told ‘The Pivot’ podcast in May he regretted agreeing to the event as his children were “affected” by the gags.

During the live-streamed 5 May roast from the Kia Forum, California, Tom was targeted with a string of close-to-the-knuckle gags about his divorce from Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, 44, with whom he has children Benjamin, 14, and 11-year-old Vivian.

Kevin told the Bleacher Report about Tom’s reaction: “I can side with time and see where he’s coming from and just him wanting to protect the idea of family and the conversation attached to that.

“That’s probably where that’s coming from.

“And you know, I’m not privy to whatever he dealt with after, so I know his response and saying something about it was a result of possibly that.”

Tom told ‘The Pivot’ he “didn’t like” the way his children were “affected” by the jokes made about his exes Gisele and Bridget Moynahan.

He said: “It’s the hardest part about the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and then all of a sudden you realise, ‘I wouldn’t do that again,’ because of the way that affected actually the people that I care about the most in the world.”

Father-of-three Tom also has 16-year-old son John “Jack” Edward Thomas with his actress ex Bridget, 52.

Kevin added: “When he says he regretted doing it… I think he’s saying, ‘I could have tapered it a little differently, or (had) a conversation pre-(roast), of like, ‘Guys, let’s go and do this, but let’s not touch this or this’.

“The idea of going all in and just saying, ‘I don’t care, because I know the world would love to see me being on the receiving end of s*** because I’m Tom Brady and I’ve been at the highest stage all my life’ – I think it was that.”