Comedian-actor Kevin Hart has had a fair share of ups and downs in the public sphere and has been held accountable for a number of less desirable moments regarding his behavior. Though he is admired by many for his comedic antics, incredible energy, and even his incredible ability to venture into entertainment and business at the same time, some people hated him for a couple of reasons.
He has been grilled online after denouncing ‘cancel culture,’ saying that despite being “canceled, what, three or four times,” he’s “never bothered by it.” He is not new to criticisms after all. When his tweets and stand-up material supposedly containing homophobic phrases and sentiments resurfaced ahead of the Oscars 2019, he stepped down as host, tweeting that he didn’t want to be a “distraction.” Are these the possible reasons why some people hate the comedian?
Kevin Hart’s Homophobic Posts
In 2019, the American stand-up comedian sat down with Ellen DeGeneres, whom he defended to the public over work-related allegations, for a candid discussion about the controversy regarding his past homophobic tweets. It was the first he had given an interview about the topic since he announced he was stepping down from his role as host in the 2019 Oscars. During those days, his past hurtful homophobic comments had reemerged online, leading him to apologize.
Addressing the issue, he said, “I know who I am. I know I don’t have a homophobic bone in my body. I know I’ve addressed it, I know I’ve apologized. I know that within my apologies, I’ve taken 10 years to put my apology to work. I’ve yet to go back to that version of the immature comedian that once was. I’ve moved on. I’m cultured. I’m manufactured. I’m a guy that understands now. I look at life through a different lens and because of it; I live life in a different way.”
The actor continued, “I had to address it and apologize and say I understand what those words do and how they hurt. I understand why people would be upset, which is why I made the choice to not use them anymore. I don’t joke like that anymore because that was wrong. That was a guy who was just looking for laughs and I don’t do that anymore.”
Kevin Hart’s 2019 Oscars Issue
Days before the 2019 Oscars, his homophobic remarks resurfaced online. For Kevin, the social media outbreak over the issue after he was named as the host of the show wasn’t an attempt to right a wrong for the LGBTQ community but a “malicious attack” to end his career. He told Ellen, “It was an attack. This wasn’t an accident; this wasn’t a coincidence…That’s a malicious attack on my character. That’s an attack to end me.”
Of his decision to initially not offer an apology and leave the awards show instead, Kevin told Ellen that he made it out of respect for the stars attending the Oscars. He explained, “The Oscars is no longer about Kevin Hard and making it loose and fun…The conversation is about Kevin Hart’s tweets from 10 years ago, and homophobia.” He went on to admit that he didn’t want to appear on stage and make the night about him and his past.
He continued, “I’m now taking away from all those moments because the night is focused on something else right now. Because I saw it like that, I said I would much rather step down and apologize while stepping down.” Kevin made an epic mistake that led to internet backlash. He has paid the high price of accountability, but he realized that his comments shamed his entire family and affected how they were perceived by the public.
Kevin Hart’s Cancel Culture Issues
The comedian has no time for people who support cancel culture as he had been targeted by the mob several times. In an interview with the Sunday Times, he said, “If somebody has done something then, absolutely, a consequence should be attached. But, when you just talk about…nonsense? When you’re talking, ‘Someone said! They need to be taken [down]!’ Shut the f**k up! What are you talking about?”
He also admitted that he has been canceled “three or four times,” but it “never bothered” him. He explained, “When did we get to a point where life was supposed to be perfect? Where people were supposed to operate perfectly all the time? I don’t understand…”
Moreover, Kevin tackled the topic of people saying comedians have bad intentions. He said, “We forgot comedians are going for the laugh. You’re not saying something to make people angry. That’s not why I’m on stage. I’m trying to make you laugh and if I did not make you laugh I failed. That’s my consequence.”
On Twitter, he ranted, “The ‘He’s not funny’ slander is the best…this is for you. I have 3 stand-up comedy specials that fall in the top 10 highest-grossing comedy specials of all time…2 of my specials are in the top 3 of all time. I have been the highest-grossing comedian for years now…I have also been the highest-grossing comedian in the box office with over 4 billion in earnings. I have also turned my comedic talent into a place of business and branding and radio and other revenue streams…The hate/slander fuels me to do more.”
Apparently, Kevin doesn’t want to allow the ‘cancel culture’ mob to control the narrative, believing that the only way to end this is if more and more people step up and push back against their insanity. Aside from the comedian, several celebrities have already spoken up to stop the damaging trend.