Things aren’t looking so good for Kevin Hart right now. Don’t feel bad though, it’s all 100% his own fault. There’s a whole, whole lot to unpack here, so let’s just get to it, all right? Earlier this week, it was announced that Kevin would be acting as host for next year’s Academy Awards. Many people took issue with this because of several homophobic comments he’s made in the past . In 2011, he tweeted “Yo if my son comes home & try’s 2 play with my daughters doll house I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay’.” In 2010, he made another tweet asking why Damien Wayans’ profile picture looks “like a gay bill board for AIDS.” There are actually dozens of awful tweets like these — he used to be very fond of calling people “gay” as an insult, and of the phrase “no homo.” He also used to be very quick to call someone a “f-g.” Kevin did stop talking like this on Twitter in 2011, which was also the year he got famous when one of his stand-up specials got popular — make of that what you will. He also made questionable statements during a 2010 comedy special. “One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay,” he said then. “That’s a fear.” “Keep in mind, I’m not homophobic. Be happy. Do what you want to do. But me, as a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.” So all of this is pretty bad, right? This isn’t the first time these comments have resurfaced, but since hosting the Oscars is such a big deal, this is the first time they’ve gotten this much attention. And Kevin did not appreciate it. In an Instagram post he made yesterday, he implored anyone reading to “Stop looking for reasons to be negative.” He wrote that he is “truly happy,” and that there is “NOTHING” that will change that. “If u want to search my history or past and anger yourselves with what u find that is fine with me,” he continued. “You LIVE and YOU LEARN & YOU GROW & YOU MATURE. Please take your negative energy and put it into something constructive.” The whole post was weird because he was criticizing other people for being upset over the genuinely terrible things that he said . And his next post was even weirder. Several hours after the previous post, he shared this video: Kevin Hart: I Won’t Apologize for Homophobic Jokes! As he explained, he’d just gotten a call from the Academy “and that call basically said, ‘Kevin, apologize for your tweets of old, or we’re going to have to move on and find another host.'” He refused to apologize. He refused because, as he said, “I’ve addressed this several times. This is not the first time this has come up. I’ve addressed it/ I’ve spoken on it.” “I’ve said where the rights and wrongs were. I’ve said who I am now versus who I was then. I’ve done it. I’ve done it.” And because of that, he’s not going to “continue to go back and tap into the days of old, when I’ve moved on and I’m in a completely different space in my life.” He also said that since people took the time to find all those awful things he said, they could have also spent time to find newer statements he’s made discussing why he made those comments in the first place. “We’re feeding the internet trolls and we reward them,” he complained. “I’m not going to do it, man.” He finished by saying that regardless of what happens next, he’s “thankful for the opportunity” to host the Academy Awards. So what happened next? He got fired. Well, he didn’t get fired — late last night, he tweeted “I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscars.” To elaborate, he wrote “This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists.” And despite what he said in that video that he shared shortly before these tweets, he did apologize for his old comments. “I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past,” Kevin said. “I’m sorry that I hurt people.” “I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart.” He concluded with “Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.” All right, so Kevin is no longer hosting the Oscars because he made several offensive comments in the past that he refused to apologize for. It all seems so silly, doesn’t it? The Academy Awards are a very big deal, and it’s also a very big deal for a comedian to be asked to host them. On top of that, all those things he said really were terrible, no matter how long ago he said them or what his intentions were or how much he’s grown since then. So why was it such a huge deal for him to apologize? Especially when he ended up apologizing anyway after already losing the job. Kevin Hart, just do better next time, OK? It sincerely is not as difficult as you seem to think it is.
The rest is here:
Kevin Hart: Stepping Down as Oscars Host After Homophobic Comments Resurface
