Whelp...
I predicted this sh*t EXACTLY.
I don't even know why he ever chose THIS hill to die on.
Cause what would have been a quick out?
Now they gonna hold over his head for a LONG time...
not smart
Kevin Hart CONFIRMS he will host the 2019 Oscars (will BGOL "hate" or "congratulate"?)
- Thread starter Hotlantan
- Start date
Whelp...
I predicted this sh*t EXACTLY.
I don't even know why he ever chose THIS hill to die on.
Cause what would have been a quick out?
Now they gonna hold over his head for a LONG time...
not smart
Why Kevin Hart Had to Go as Oscars Host
By Michael Schulman
10:13 A.M.
Anyone who spent his or her childhood trying to police “homosexual tendencies” feels the sting of Kevin Hart’s words.
Photograph by Phillip Faraone / The Wall Street Journal / Getty
On Wednesday, the Academy Awards announced the comedian Kevin Hart as the host of this year’s broadcast. Apparently, he wasn’t the first person asked. The Hollywood Reporter had just run a piece headlined “Why Oscar Host Has Become the Least Wanted Job in Hollywood,” noting the A-list talents (Oprah Winfrey, Tina Fey) who had reportedly passed. Hart, in contrast, had indicated publicly that it was a dream gig. On Instagram, he said that he was “blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time.”
Within hours, the Internet unearthed a number of homophobic tweets from Hart’s past, including one, now deleted, from 2011: “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.’ ” Another tweet described a Twitter user’s photo as “a gay billboard for AIDS.” There were sprinklings of “gay by association,” “no homo,” and “fat faced fag” throughout his feed. The journalist Benjamin Lee, of the Guardian, shared a routine from Hart’s 2010 comedy special, “Seriously Funny,” in which he says, “One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay. 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.” He goes on to describe his son Hendrix’s possible “homosexual tendencies,” to which his fatherly response is “Stop, that’s gay!”
You know how these things work: rapid-fire outrage, hand-wringing over how culpable people should be for old jokes, and—last night, on cue—the dénouement. Taking to Instagram again, Hart came out with a non-apology (“I’m not going to let the craziness frustrate me”) and then, an hour or so later, tweeted out an actual apology (“I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past”) and withdrew as the Oscars host.
Hart was reportedly given an “ultimatum” by the Academy to apologize, which didn’t exactly need another own goal after #OscarsSoWhite, the “Best Popular Film” debacle, and declining ratings. The viewers who still tune in include a fervent gay fan base (Hi!), who will want to watch Lady Gaga perform “Shallow” in peace. And, in retrospect, how could Hart have possibly presided over a cinematic year that includes such L.G.B.T.Q.-flavored films as “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” “The Favourite,” and “Boy Erased,” the last about a gay teen whose parents send him to conversion therapy?
I can’t solve the problem of how accountable comedians should be for insensitive jokes from years ago (although 2010, which Hart described as “days of old,” wasn’t exactly pre-Stonewall). I can only tell you how my skin crawled and my heart sank as I read Hart’s “jokes.” There’s a specific brand of homophobia—fear of gayness in your own children—that is so hurtful, because its implication is that love is contingent upon fear. Anyone who spent his or her childhood trying to police “homosexual tendencies”—say, the urge to hoard cassette tapes of Oscar-winning songs—feels the sting of Hart’s words, delivered in the spirit of “I’m just saying what every father thinks.”
Not all “offensive” jokes are equally bad. Jerry Seinfeld’s crack about scrolling through his phone contacts “like a gay French king” is hacky and annoying, mostly because he uses it to rail against “political correctness.” But it doesn’t cut nearly as deep as Hart’s. As the gay comedian Billy Eichner tweeted, “Many of us have jokes/tweets we regret. I’m ok with tasteless jokes, depending on context. What bothers me about these is you can tell its not just a joke—there’s real truth, anger & fear behind these. I hope Kevin’s thinking has evolved since 2011.” Unwanted as it may be, hosting the Oscars is an élite, front-and-center job, and now the Academy can choose someone without the taint of intolerance. It should see if Eichner has plans on Sunday, February 24th.
By Michael Schulman
10:13 A.M.
Anyone who spent his or her childhood trying to police “homosexual tendencies” feels the sting of Kevin Hart’s words.
Photograph by Phillip Faraone / The Wall Street Journal / Getty
On Wednesday, the Academy Awards announced the comedian Kevin Hart as the host of this year’s broadcast. Apparently, he wasn’t the first person asked. The Hollywood Reporter had just run a piece headlined “Why Oscar Host Has Become the Least Wanted Job in Hollywood,” noting the A-list talents (Oprah Winfrey, Tina Fey) who had reportedly passed. Hart, in contrast, had indicated publicly that it was a dream gig. On Instagram, he said that he was “blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time.”
Within hours, the Internet unearthed a number of homophobic tweets from Hart’s past, including one, now deleted, from 2011: “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.’ ” Another tweet described a Twitter user’s photo as “a gay billboard for AIDS.” There were sprinklings of “gay by association,” “no homo,” and “fat faced fag” throughout his feed. The journalist Benjamin Lee, of the Guardian, shared a routine from Hart’s 2010 comedy special, “Seriously Funny,” in which he says, “One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay. 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.” He goes on to describe his son Hendrix’s possible “homosexual tendencies,” to which his fatherly response is “Stop, that’s gay!”
You know how these things work: rapid-fire outrage, hand-wringing over how culpable people should be for old jokes, and—last night, on cue—the dénouement. Taking to Instagram again, Hart came out with a non-apology (“I’m not going to let the craziness frustrate me”) and then, an hour or so later, tweeted out an actual apology (“I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past”) and withdrew as the Oscars host.
Hart was reportedly given an “ultimatum” by the Academy to apologize, which didn’t exactly need another own goal after #OscarsSoWhite, the “Best Popular Film” debacle, and declining ratings. The viewers who still tune in include a fervent gay fan base (Hi!), who will want to watch Lady Gaga perform “Shallow” in peace. And, in retrospect, how could Hart have possibly presided over a cinematic year that includes such L.G.B.T.Q.-flavored films as “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” “The Favourite,” and “Boy Erased,” the last about a gay teen whose parents send him to conversion therapy?
I can’t solve the problem of how accountable comedians should be for insensitive jokes from years ago (although 2010, which Hart described as “days of old,” wasn’t exactly pre-Stonewall). I can only tell you how my skin crawled and my heart sank as I read Hart’s “jokes.” There’s a specific brand of homophobia—fear of gayness in your own children—that is so hurtful, because its implication is that love is contingent upon fear. Anyone who spent his or her childhood trying to police “homosexual tendencies”—say, the urge to hoard cassette tapes of Oscar-winning songs—feels the sting of Hart’s words, delivered in the spirit of “I’m just saying what every father thinks.”
Not all “offensive” jokes are equally bad. Jerry Seinfeld’s crack about scrolling through his phone contacts “like a gay French king” is hacky and annoying, mostly because he uses it to rail against “political correctness.” But it doesn’t cut nearly as deep as Hart’s. As the gay comedian Billy Eichner tweeted, “Many of us have jokes/tweets we regret. I’m ok with tasteless jokes, depending on context. What bothers me about these is you can tell its not just a joke—there’s real truth, anger & fear behind these. I hope Kevin’s thinking has evolved since 2011.” Unwanted as it may be, hosting the Oscars is an élite, front-and-center job, and now the Academy can choose someone without the taint of intolerance. It should see if Eichner has plans on Sunday, February 24th.
Why We Need to Forgive Kevin Hart
In holding people accountable for their old views — even ones they realized were wrong and apologized for — we are setting standards that nobody can meet.
By Susan Fowler
Ms. Fowler is an editor in the Opinion section.
Kevin Hart in Los Angeles last year. He stepped down Thursday as host of the 2019 Academy Awards.CreditRB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images, via Getty Images
Image
The comedian Kevin Hart stepped down on Thursday as host of the 2019 Academy Awards after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him an ultimatum: Walk away or apologize for anti-gay tweets he posted years ago that recently resurfaced.
Mr. Hart said that he had changed. “Guys, I’m almost 40,” he said in an Instagram video. “If you don’t believe that people change, grow, evolve as they get older, I don’t know what to tell you.” But that wasn’t good enough for the internet. The complaints and outrage continued until Mr. Hart had stepped down from his position as host of the Oscars and given a sorrowful public apology.
This has become a familiar pattern: A celebrity makes news; his or her history is scoured for any wrong thing (and there is always something); the internet goes crazy. It doesn’t matter whether the celebrity has changed his or her views and apologized in the past; the public still wants blood.
I’m not condoning Kevin Hart’s old jokes, and he isn’t either. But I fear we’re creating a disastrous precedent. In holding people accountable for their old views — even ones they realized were wrong and apologized for — we are setting standards that nobody can meet. We cannot expect to make progress if we do not allow people the chance to grow with us.
Subscribe to The Times
If I do something wrong, I want to have the chance to realize what I’ve done, change my view, correct the mistake and learn from it. I’m pretty sure that every one of you, if put in the hot seat, would want the same.
We must be careful about the world we are creating in the age of social media, especially since there’s no turning back.
In holding people accountable for their old views — even ones they realized were wrong and apologized for — we are setting standards that nobody can meet.
By Susan Fowler
Ms. Fowler is an editor in the Opinion section.
- Dec. 7, 2018
Kevin Hart in Los Angeles last year. He stepped down Thursday as host of the 2019 Academy Awards.CreditRB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images, via Getty Images
Image
The comedian Kevin Hart stepped down on Thursday as host of the 2019 Academy Awards after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him an ultimatum: Walk away or apologize for anti-gay tweets he posted years ago that recently resurfaced.
Mr. Hart said that he had changed. “Guys, I’m almost 40,” he said in an Instagram video. “If you don’t believe that people change, grow, evolve as they get older, I don’t know what to tell you.” But that wasn’t good enough for the internet. The complaints and outrage continued until Mr. Hart had stepped down from his position as host of the Oscars and given a sorrowful public apology.
This has become a familiar pattern: A celebrity makes news; his or her history is scoured for any wrong thing (and there is always something); the internet goes crazy. It doesn’t matter whether the celebrity has changed his or her views and apologized in the past; the public still wants blood.
I’m not condoning Kevin Hart’s old jokes, and he isn’t either. But I fear we’re creating a disastrous precedent. In holding people accountable for their old views — even ones they realized were wrong and apologized for — we are setting standards that nobody can meet. We cannot expect to make progress if we do not allow people the chance to grow with us.
Subscribe to The Times
If I do something wrong, I want to have the chance to realize what I’ve done, change my view, correct the mistake and learn from it. I’m pretty sure that every one of you, if put in the hot seat, would want the same.
We must be careful about the world we are creating in the age of social media, especially since there’s no turning back.
Kevin Hart is still pretty clueless
By Clay Cane
Updated 8:52 PM ET, Fri December 7, 2018
(CNN)It hasn't been a great couple of weeks in the press for comedian Kevin Hart. Last week, he and his wife were slammed and accused of racism on social media for a cowboys and Indians-themed birthday party for his son, which he refused to apologize for.
Clay Cane
Now he is in another media firestorm after his homophobic tweets resurfaced when it was announced he was hosting the Academy Awards. According to Hart, in an Instagram video he posted, the Academy asked him to apologize after the backlash (no word on why there wasn't a demand for him to apologize for the offensive "cowboys and Indians" party or his unfunny 2010 joke about darker skinned black women).
Hart refused to apologize because he claimed he already "addressed" the tweets years ago (although he appears to believe saying people are "too sensitive" is an apology). Hart also complained that people were being negative by holding him accountable. Hart stepped down from the Oscar hosting gig -- then bizarrely apologized after he said he wouldn't.
Here is what comedians who get in trouble need to understand: You can't "punch down." Skinny people cannot crack jokes about overweight people. Rich people cannot mock poor people. White comedians cannot make black people the butt of their jokes. Straight men cannot joke about assaulting gay men. And if anyone dares go down this lane, the joke must be so hilarious that even the community who is being insulted will laugh out loud. There are very few comedians who have that gift.
Kevin Hart and the art of the celebrity apology
Hart has been trending on social media for several hours and now he has been defended by conservativeswho shout things like, "People are too sensitive!" Sadly, Hart is being used as political fodder, because certain folks want to whine that asking someone to be held accountable for offensive language is an attack from a "leftist mob" or the PC police.
They want an excuse to defend, for example, a sitting senator who "jokes" about a "public hanging" and is still elected a senator of Mississippi. A man running for governor can caution voters not to vote for his black opponent, lest they "monkey this up" -- and still be elected governor of Florida. Our sitting President can insult countless people, even deceased war heroes, and still have a high approval rating among his own party. Therefore, their outrage is selective and partisan.
Don Lemon to Kevin Hart: Call me, let's talk 00:38
In reality, we aren't more "sensitive." People -- including celebrities and politicians -- constantly get away with verbal murder, winning elections or even evadingaccusations of sexual assault, and their careers are unscathed.
Hart has more class than Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Florida Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and our current President. Personally, I wish he hadn't resigned and that GLAAD, a major LGBTQ advocacy organization, did not want him to bow out. Hart could have engaged in a teachable moment and probably cracked some good jokes about the incident in his opening monologue. Furthermore, the Academy Awards should have done its research before giving Hart the gig; these jokes were well known.
That said, no one should shed a tear for the comedian. Kevin Hart is unaffected and safe. He is a rich celebrity who has several sources of income; he will not suffer. Not hosting the Academy Awards will not affect his life. He will thrive.
Social media is a minefield for celebs
As for his actual comments, among the many tweets that resurfaced is one from 2011 that read, "Yo if my son comes home & try's 2 play with my daughters (sic) doll house I'm going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice 'stop that's gay.'" As someone who grew up with an extremely abusive homophobic father, I know firsthand this isn't funny, it's triggering. But maybe I am too sensitive...
In another tweet, Hart wrote that an actor had an avatar that looked like "a gay billboard for AIDS." I'm not sure when HIV/AIDS jokes became funny, but it's hard for me to chuckle when I have been at the bedside of someone dying of HIV-related diseases. But maybe I am too sensitive...
For most of his career, Hart has framed himself as a non-political, safe comedian who actively avoided race and politics in his comedy (until he recently told Trump to "suck it," which people on the right who are advocating for him now should consider before praising him). I like my comedy political and edgy, and these tweets weren't edgy or funny. That said, it's interesting Hart has avoided race in his work, but had no issue talking about LGBTQ folks, even though that is a community he apparently knows nothing about.
For more opinion...
Sign up for our new newsletter.
Join us on Twitter and Facebook
Kevin Hart owes his success to black audiences, and considering how many LGBTQ people are black, the Philadelphia native should certainly do better. A message for Hart and for all of us: What you find funny and what you believe people are "too sensitive" about speaks volumes about your character.
By Clay Cane
Updated 8:52 PM ET, Fri December 7, 2018
(CNN)It hasn't been a great couple of weeks in the press for comedian Kevin Hart. Last week, he and his wife were slammed and accused of racism on social media for a cowboys and Indians-themed birthday party for his son, which he refused to apologize for.
Clay Cane
Now he is in another media firestorm after his homophobic tweets resurfaced when it was announced he was hosting the Academy Awards. According to Hart, in an Instagram video he posted, the Academy asked him to apologize after the backlash (no word on why there wasn't a demand for him to apologize for the offensive "cowboys and Indians" party or his unfunny 2010 joke about darker skinned black women).
Hart refused to apologize because he claimed he already "addressed" the tweets years ago (although he appears to believe saying people are "too sensitive" is an apology). Hart also complained that people were being negative by holding him accountable. Hart stepped down from the Oscar hosting gig -- then bizarrely apologized after he said he wouldn't.
Here is what comedians who get in trouble need to understand: You can't "punch down." Skinny people cannot crack jokes about overweight people. Rich people cannot mock poor people. White comedians cannot make black people the butt of their jokes. Straight men cannot joke about assaulting gay men. And if anyone dares go down this lane, the joke must be so hilarious that even the community who is being insulted will laugh out loud. There are very few comedians who have that gift.
Kevin Hart and the art of the celebrity apology
Hart has been trending on social media for several hours and now he has been defended by conservativeswho shout things like, "People are too sensitive!" Sadly, Hart is being used as political fodder, because certain folks want to whine that asking someone to be held accountable for offensive language is an attack from a "leftist mob" or the PC police.
They want an excuse to defend, for example, a sitting senator who "jokes" about a "public hanging" and is still elected a senator of Mississippi. A man running for governor can caution voters not to vote for his black opponent, lest they "monkey this up" -- and still be elected governor of Florida. Our sitting President can insult countless people, even deceased war heroes, and still have a high approval rating among his own party. Therefore, their outrage is selective and partisan.
Don Lemon to Kevin Hart: Call me, let's talk 00:38
In reality, we aren't more "sensitive." People -- including celebrities and politicians -- constantly get away with verbal murder, winning elections or even evadingaccusations of sexual assault, and their careers are unscathed.
Hart has more class than Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Florida Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and our current President. Personally, I wish he hadn't resigned and that GLAAD, a major LGBTQ advocacy organization, did not want him to bow out. Hart could have engaged in a teachable moment and probably cracked some good jokes about the incident in his opening monologue. Furthermore, the Academy Awards should have done its research before giving Hart the gig; these jokes were well known.
That said, no one should shed a tear for the comedian. Kevin Hart is unaffected and safe. He is a rich celebrity who has several sources of income; he will not suffer. Not hosting the Academy Awards will not affect his life. He will thrive.
Social media is a minefield for celebs
As for his actual comments, among the many tweets that resurfaced is one from 2011 that read, "Yo if my son comes home & try's 2 play with my daughters (sic) doll house I'm going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice 'stop that's gay.'" As someone who grew up with an extremely abusive homophobic father, I know firsthand this isn't funny, it's triggering. But maybe I am too sensitive...
In another tweet, Hart wrote that an actor had an avatar that looked like "a gay billboard for AIDS." I'm not sure when HIV/AIDS jokes became funny, but it's hard for me to chuckle when I have been at the bedside of someone dying of HIV-related diseases. But maybe I am too sensitive...
For most of his career, Hart has framed himself as a non-political, safe comedian who actively avoided race and politics in his comedy (until he recently told Trump to "suck it," which people on the right who are advocating for him now should consider before praising him). I like my comedy political and edgy, and these tweets weren't edgy or funny. That said, it's interesting Hart has avoided race in his work, but had no issue talking about LGBTQ folks, even though that is a community he apparently knows nothing about.
For more opinion...
Sign up for our new newsletter.
Join us on Twitter and Facebook
Kevin Hart owes his success to black audiences, and considering how many LGBTQ people are black, the Philadelphia native should certainly do better. A message for Hart and for all of us: What you find funny and what you believe people are "too sensitive" about speaks volumes about your character.
the rise and fall of kevin hart.
Meanwhile, This hatin' insecure clown will never ever get asked to do something that big. While Kevin will continue to make millions and will probably host in the next couple years.
Kevin Hart is still pretty clueless
By Clay Cane
Updated 8:52 PM ET, Fri December 7, 2018
(CNN)It hasn't been a great couple of weeks in the press for comedian Kevin Hart. Last week, he and his wife were slammed and accused of racism on social media for a cowboys and Indians-themed birthday party for his son, which he refused to apologize for.
Clay Cane
Now he is in another media firestorm after his homophobic tweets resurfaced when it was announced he was hosting the Academy Awards. According to Hart, in an Instagram video he posted, the Academy asked him to apologize after the backlash (no word on why there wasn't a demand for him to apologize for the offensive "cowboys and Indians" party or his unfunny 2010 joke about darker skinned black women).
Hart refused to apologize because he claimed he already "addressed" the tweets years ago (although he appears to believe saying people are "too sensitive" is an apology). Hart also complained that people were being negative by holding him accountable. Hart stepped down from the Oscar hosting gig -- then bizarrely apologized after he said he wouldn't.
Here is what comedians who get in trouble need to understand: You can't "punch down." Skinny people cannot crack jokes about overweight people. Rich people cannot mock poor people. White comedians cannot make black people the butt of their jokes. Straight men cannot joke about assaulting gay men. And if anyone dares go down this lane, the joke must be so hilarious that even the community who is being insulted will laugh out loud. There are very few comedians who have that gift.
Kevin Hart and the art of the celebrity apology
Hart has been trending on social media for several hours and now he has been defended by conservativeswho shout things like, "People are too sensitive!" Sadly, Hart is being used as political fodder, because certain folks want to whine that asking someone to be held accountable for offensive language is an attack from a "leftist mob" or the PC police.
They want an excuse to defend, for example, a sitting senator who "jokes" about a "public hanging" and is still elected a senator of Mississippi. A man running for governor can caution voters not to vote for his black opponent, lest they "monkey this up" -- and still be elected governor of Florida. Our sitting President can insult countless people, even deceased war heroes, and still have a high approval rating among his own party. Therefore, their outrage is selective and partisan.
Don Lemon to Kevin Hart: Call me, let's talk 00:38
In reality, we aren't more "sensitive." People -- including celebrities and politicians -- constantly get away with verbal murder, winning elections or even evadingaccusations of sexual assault, and their careers are unscathed.
Hart has more class than Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Florida Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and our current President. Personally, I wish he hadn't resigned and that GLAAD, a major LGBTQ advocacy organization, did not want him to bow out. Hart could have engaged in a teachable moment and probably cracked some good jokes about the incident in his opening monologue. Furthermore, the Academy Awards should have done its research before giving Hart the gig; these jokes were well known.
That said, no one should shed a tear for the comedian. Kevin Hart is unaffected and safe. He is a rich celebrity who has several sources of income; he will not suffer. Not hosting the Academy Awards will not affect his life. He will thrive.
Social media is a minefield for celebs
As for his actual comments, among the many tweets that resurfaced is one from 2011 that read, "Yo if my son comes home & try's 2 play with my daughters (sic) doll house I'm going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice 'stop that's gay.'" As someone who grew up with an extremely abusive homophobic father, I know firsthand this isn't funny, it's triggering. But maybe I am too sensitive...
In another tweet, Hart wrote that an actor had an avatar that looked like "a gay billboard for AIDS." I'm not sure when HIV/AIDS jokes became funny, but it's hard for me to chuckle when I have been at the bedside of someone dying of HIV-related diseases. But maybe I am too sensitive...
For most of his career, Hart has framed himself as a non-political, safe comedian who actively avoided race and politics in his comedy (until he recently told Trump to "suck it," which people on the right who are advocating for him now should consider before praising him). I like my comedy political and edgy, and these tweets weren't edgy or funny. That said, it's interesting Hart has avoided race in his work, but had no issue talking about LGBTQ folks, even though that is a community he apparently knows nothing about.
For more opinion...
Sign up for our new newsletter.
Join us on Twitter and Facebook
Kevin Hart owes his success to black audiences, and considering how many LGBTQ people are black, the Philadelphia native should certainly do better. A message for Hart and for all of us: What you find funny and what you believe people are "too sensitive" about speaks volumes about your character.
What are comedians allowed to joke about? Gay people get mad at gay jokes, Republicans get mad at Trump jokes, women get mad at women jokes...so these "groups" don't like jokes about them, but what are they doing when it's an Asian joke or a latino joke? My grams says "righteousness doesn't take days off". If these people are fighting the power and standing up against exaggerations of groups, they can't not do it when the joke doesn't hit them specifically.
naw,some faggits gonna try to #metoo kevin next. Watch
You work so hard to build your name and brand and overnight that shit can be snatched from you. I wonder if he gets casted for anything in 2019?
The nigga bowed down and apologized to the fags for some jokes? Yeah I might be done fucking with dude.
I was actually geeked that he stood his ground but out of fear of losing a bag or two he folded!
He is already wealthy and with the internet can do his own thing...can’t stand a scary nigga but at the same time I can understand from a business standpoint
I was actually geeked that he stood his ground but out of fear of losing a bag or two he folded!
He is already wealthy and with the internet can do his own thing...can’t stand a scary nigga but at the same time I can understand from a business standpoint
Why you hating on a brother that's out there hustling hard and honest?... Tell us why you mad son.
He will be ok. He's now got enough money and influence to still be relevant. Plus he's now producing his own stuff... He's can now proudly tell Hollywood to fuck off.
The Oscars are in deep shit.
Anyone who is worth having host probably done are said something controversial in their past.
It was already a thankless job now it's to risky to do. Who in their right mind would do it now?
On a higher minded note, to paraphrase Bomani Jones '[our current society] has a reentry problem for those who have offended/wronged.'
Are we to be forever offended thus they to be forever banished?
Me and my lady had a falling out about some shit I did and anytime she got in her feelings she brought it up. Eventually I told her I'm not apologizing for that anymore- from here on out that subject matter is merely academic. I've shown remorse and backed it by the actions of changing my behavior so if she must grieve she grieves alone because I'm not going to live as 'the damned'.
'Alone as in out of our relationship'.
Haven't had that conversation sense.
*two cents*
Anyone who is worth having host probably done are said something controversial in their past.
It was already a thankless job now it's to risky to do. Who in their right mind would do it now?
On a higher minded note, to paraphrase Bomani Jones '[our current society] has a reentry problem for those who have offended/wronged.'
Are we to be forever offended thus they to be forever banished?
Me and my lady had a falling out about some shit I did and anytime she got in her feelings she brought it up. Eventually I told her I'm not apologizing for that anymore- from here on out that subject matter is merely academic. I've shown remorse and backed it by the actions of changing my behavior so if she must grieve she grieves alone because I'm not going to live as 'the damned'.
'Alone as in out of our relationship'.
Haven't had that conversation sense.
*two cents*
I said this in another thread. Because of the stance he took they're going to send someone after him. Maybe a few someone's. #MeToo is the tool of choice now for destroying wealthy/influential black men.
Fuck that last paragraph...as for the rest, if they offended they offended but that last paragraph?....that little linking he tried to do?....fuck that dudeKevin Hart is still pretty clueless
By Clay Cane
Updated 8:52 PM ET, Fri December 7, 2018
(CNN)It hasn't been a great couple of weeks in the press for comedian Kevin Hart. Last week, he and his wife were slammed and accused of racism on social media for a cowboys and Indians-themed birthday party for his son, which he refused to apologize for.
Clay Cane
Now he is in another media firestorm after his homophobic tweets resurfaced when it was announced he was hosting the Academy Awards. According to Hart, in an Instagram video he posted, the Academy asked him to apologize after the backlash (no word on why there wasn't a demand for him to apologize for the offensive "cowboys and Indians" party or his unfunny 2010 joke about darker skinned black women).
Hart refused to apologize because he claimed he already "addressed" the tweets years ago (although he appears to believe saying people are "too sensitive" is an apology). Hart also complained that people were being negative by holding him accountable. Hart stepped down from the Oscar hosting gig -- then bizarrely apologized after he said he wouldn't.
Here is what comedians who get in trouble need to understand: You can't "punch down." Skinny people cannot crack jokes about overweight people. Rich people cannot mock poor people. White comedians cannot make black people the butt of their jokes. Straight men cannot joke about assaulting gay men. And if anyone dares go down this lane, the joke must be so hilarious that even the community who is being insulted will laugh out loud. There are very few comedians who have that gift.
Kevin Hart and the art of the celebrity apology
Hart has been trending on social media for several hours and now he has been defended by conservativeswho shout things like, "People are too sensitive!" Sadly, Hart is being used as political fodder, because certain folks want to whine that asking someone to be held accountable for offensive language is an attack from a "leftist mob" or the PC police.
They want an excuse to defend, for example, a sitting senator who "jokes" about a "public hanging" and is still elected a senator of Mississippi. A man running for governor can caution voters not to vote for his black opponent, lest they "monkey this up" -- and still be elected governor of Florida. Our sitting President can insult countless people, even deceased war heroes, and still have a high approval rating among his own party. Therefore, their outrage is selective and partisan.
Don Lemon to Kevin Hart: Call me, let's talk 00:38
In reality, we aren't more "sensitive." People -- including celebrities and politicians -- constantly get away with verbal murder, winning elections or even evadingaccusations of sexual assault, and their careers are unscathed.
Hart has more class than Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Florida Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and our current President. Personally, I wish he hadn't resigned and that GLAAD, a major LGBTQ advocacy organization, did not want him to bow out. Hart could have engaged in a teachable moment and probably cracked some good jokes about the incident in his opening monologue. Furthermore, the Academy Awards should have done its research before giving Hart the gig; these jokes were well known.
That said, no one should shed a tear for the comedian. Kevin Hart is unaffected and safe. He is a rich celebrity who has several sources of income; he will not suffer. Not hosting the Academy Awards will not affect his life. He will thrive.
Social media is a minefield for celebs
As for his actual comments, among the many tweets that resurfaced is one from 2011 that read, "Yo if my son comes home & try's 2 play with my daughters (sic) doll house I'm going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice 'stop that's gay.'" As someone who grew up with an extremely abusive homophobic father, I know firsthand this isn't funny, it's triggering. But maybe I am too sensitive...
In another tweet, Hart wrote that an actor had an avatar that looked like "a gay billboard for AIDS." I'm not sure when HIV/AIDS jokes became funny, but it's hard for me to chuckle when I have been at the bedside of someone dying of HIV-related diseases. But maybe I am too sensitive...
For most of his career, Hart has framed himself as a non-political, safe comedian who actively avoided race and politics in his comedy (until he recently told Trump to "suck it," which people on the right who are advocating for him now should consider before praising him). I like my comedy political and edgy, and these tweets weren't edgy or funny. That said, it's interesting Hart has avoided race in his work, but had no issue talking about LGBTQ folks, even though that is a community he apparently knows nothing about.
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Kevin Hart owes his success to black audiences, and considering how many LGBTQ people are black, the Philadelphia native should certainly do better. A message for Hart and for all of us: What you find funny and what you believe people are "too sensitive" about speaks volumes about your character.
FagS acting up because Buju is free and he is gonna be more popular than ever...
Shit is crazy how muthafuckas keep telling us to get over the past..
Funny how it only works when its the plight of so callEd black people
Shit is crazy how muthafuckas keep telling us to get over the past..
Funny how it only works when its the plight of so callEd black people
Steppin fetchit ass clown also disrespected black women on twitter but no apology, and he never speaks on black issues....FUCK HIM
I was listening to something by Dr. Frances Cress Welsing that confirms that the cac is pushing this gay initiative to be able to disarm the black man if i find it i will post a link to it
Was just a matter of time before they found something to throw at Kevin. A few comedians predicted it back when he was defending Tiffany Haddish & speaking about his clout.
What he tweeted was a joke; mixed with a little truth. Its a shame u cant say shit about gays, Women etc without having the Gay Right and MeToo brigades on your ass. This is one reason comedy is dying. Mofos too sensitive
What he tweeted was a joke; mixed with a little truth. Its a shame u cant say shit about gays, Women etc without having the Gay Right and MeToo brigades on your ass. This is one reason comedy is dying. Mofos too sensitive
This...Hmm
Gay Mafia pushes news that they are giving the host job to Kev
But they want something in return, Kev Passes...
Did they ever want him to really host, or was this just a ploy to get him to apologize over nothing?
I'm skeptical.
This pisses me off man.
Fuck that faggit ass cac.Why Kevin Hart Had to Go as Oscars Host
By Michael Schulman
10:13 A.M.
Anyone who spent his or her childhood trying to police “homosexual tendencies” feels the sting of Kevin Hart’s words.
Photograph by Phillip Faraone / The Wall Street Journal / Getty
On Wednesday, the Academy Awards announced the comedian Kevin Hart as the host of this year’s broadcast. Apparently, he wasn’t the first person asked. The Hollywood Reporter had just run a piece headlined “Why Oscar Host Has Become the Least Wanted Job in Hollywood,” noting the A-list talents (Oprah Winfrey, Tina Fey) who had reportedly passed. Hart, in contrast, had indicated publicly that it was a dream gig. On Instagram, he said that he was “blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time.”
Within hours, the Internet unearthed a number of homophobic tweets from Hart’s past, including one, now deleted, from 2011: “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.’ ” Another tweet described a Twitter user’s photo as “a gay billboard for AIDS.” There were sprinklings of “gay by association,” “no homo,” and “fat faced fag” throughout his feed. The journalist Benjamin Lee, of the Guardian, shared a routine from Hart’s 2010 comedy special, “Seriously Funny,” in which he says, “One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay. 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.” He goes on to describe his son Hendrix’s possible “homosexual tendencies,” to which his fatherly response is “Stop, that’s gay!”
You know how these things work: rapid-fire outrage, hand-wringing over how culpable people should be for old jokes, and—last night, on cue—the dénouement. Taking to Instagram again, Hart came out with a non-apology (“I’m not going to let the craziness frustrate me”) and then, an hour or so later, tweeted out an actual apology (“I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past”) and withdrew as the Oscars host.
Hart was reportedly given an “ultimatum” by the Academy to apologize, which didn’t exactly need another own goal after #OscarsSoWhite, the “Best Popular Film” debacle, and declining ratings. The viewers who still tune in include a fervent gay fan base (Hi!), who will want to watch Lady Gaga perform “Shallow” in peace. And, in retrospect, how could Hart have possibly presided over a cinematic year that includes such L.G.B.T.Q.-flavored films as “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” “The Favourite,” and “Boy Erased,” the last about a gay teen whose parents send him to conversion therapy?
I can’t solve the problem of how accountable comedians should be for insensitive jokes from years ago (although 2010, which Hart described as “days of old,” wasn’t exactly pre-Stonewall). I can only tell you how my skin crawled and my heart sank as I read Hart’s “jokes.” There’s a specific brand of homophobia—fear of gayness in your own children—that is so hurtful, because its implication is that love is contingent upon fear. Anyone who spent his or her childhood trying to police “homosexual tendencies”—say, the urge to hoard cassette tapes of Oscar-winning songs—feels the sting of Hart’s words, delivered in the spirit of “I’m just saying what every father thinks.”
Not all “offensive” jokes are equally bad. Jerry Seinfeld’s crack about scrolling through his phone contacts “like a gay French king” is hacky and annoying, mostly because he uses it to rail against “political correctness.” But it doesn’t cut nearly as deep as Hart’s. As the gay comedian Billy Eichner tweeted, “Many of us have jokes/tweets we regret. I’m ok with tasteless jokes, depending on context. What bothers me about these is you can tell its not just a joke—there’s real truth, anger & fear behind these. I hope Kevin’s thinking has evolved since 2011.” Unwanted as it may be, hosting the Oscars is an élite, front-and-center job, and now the Academy can choose someone without the taint of intolerance. It should see if Eichner has plans on Sunday, February 24th.
He is FAM!
SALUTE for taking a stand
Take 3 million in cash ....and stash it right now Kevin
THEY'RE COMING...
They’ll have a new N*%GGA next year
Take 3 million in cash ....and stash it right now Kevin
THEY'RE COMING...
They’ll have a new N*%GGA next year
There you go.
Look whether you agree the tweet was ok or not?
In the climate we in...
Forget about right wrong funny not funny
As a BUSINESSMAN
you should have BEEN deleted that
But if you puff up your chest and decide to stand?
ESPECIALLY when Kevin has never done that with ANY black issues
Remember mister i aint political i make jokes everybody
So what he did here is worse.
Cause by bending over like this?
He emasculated himself and in a sense all black men as a whole
It doesn't matter WHAT the tweet or joke was ABOUT...
its how he made a whole big damn show of hos position
More than once
And didnt just apologize
Homeboy bent down on both knees.
That is what pisses me off.
Cause i told ALL y'all from jump he was gonna apologize
But all that rah rah and woof tickets
Permanently undermine him.
But it makes OTHER groups look powerful united and organized
Kevin a dork.
And they just dropped that card...nicely played
Told ya'll
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc...as-missed-opportunity-lgbtq-activists-n945496
Told ya'll
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc...as-missed-opportunity-lgbtq-activists-n945496
GLAAD: Kevin Hart “Shouldn’t Have Stepped Down” From Hosting Oscars
"He should have stepped up.”
by Brandon Voss 25m ago
bow out of hosting the 91st Academy Awards amid backlash surrounding his homophobic Twitter history.
Hart repeatedly made anti-gay comments in a series of now-deleted tweets published between 2009 and 2011, even threatening his son with violence if he caught him playing with dolls, and insulted various celebrities by calling them “gay” or “fag.”
“I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past,” the 39-year-old entertainer wrote Thursday night on social media. “I am evolving and want to continue to do so.”
Hart initially failed to issue an apology, insisting he had addressed the situation “several times” already. On Instagram he told people to “stop looking for reasons to be angry,” claiming he would “stand his ground” and not “feed the internet trolls.”
“Kevin Hart shouldn’t have stepped down; he should have stepped up,” writes GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement shared on Twitter. “Hart’s apology to LGBTQ people is an important step forward, but he missed a real opportunity to use his platform and the Oscars stage to build unity and awareness.”
“We would still welcome that conversation with him,” Ellis continues. “The Academy has recently made significant strides in featuring diverse talent onstage and they should now double down on that commitment as they look for a new host.”
GLAAD previously tweeted that the LGBTQ media advocacy organization had reached out to ABC, the Academy, and Hart’s management “to discuss Kevin’s anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and record as well as opportunities for positive LGBTQ inclusion on the Oscars stage.”
Ellis also appeared Friday on CNN’s New Day to discuss Hart’s apology and resignation, saying, “it wasn’t the conclusion I think everybody would’ve liked.”
“We were hoping that this was going to turn into a teachable moment, that Kevin Hart would still be hosting the Oscars and he would be using this moment not only to show his evolution around the LGBTQ community but also to then use the Oscars stage, one of the biggest stages in the world, to help build unity and awareness around the LGBTQ community and how we are marginalized in this country,” Ellis continued, adding that she has been in contact with Hart’s representatives.
The Oscars will be held on February 24, 2019. A replacement host has not yet been announced.
"He should have stepped up.”
by Brandon Voss 25m ago
bow out of hosting the 91st Academy Awards amid backlash surrounding his homophobic Twitter history.
Hart repeatedly made anti-gay comments in a series of now-deleted tweets published between 2009 and 2011, even threatening his son with violence if he caught him playing with dolls, and insulted various celebrities by calling them “gay” or “fag.”
“I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past,” the 39-year-old entertainer wrote Thursday night on social media. “I am evolving and want to continue to do so.”
Hart initially failed to issue an apology, insisting he had addressed the situation “several times” already. On Instagram he told people to “stop looking for reasons to be angry,” claiming he would “stand his ground” and not “feed the internet trolls.”
“Kevin Hart shouldn’t have stepped down; he should have stepped up,” writes GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement shared on Twitter. “Hart’s apology to LGBTQ people is an important step forward, but he missed a real opportunity to use his platform and the Oscars stage to build unity and awareness.”
“We would still welcome that conversation with him,” Ellis continues. “The Academy has recently made significant strides in featuring diverse talent onstage and they should now double down on that commitment as they look for a new host.”
GLAAD previously tweeted that the LGBTQ media advocacy organization had reached out to ABC, the Academy, and Hart’s management “to discuss Kevin’s anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and record as well as opportunities for positive LGBTQ inclusion on the Oscars stage.”
Ellis also appeared Friday on CNN’s New Day to discuss Hart’s apology and resignation, saying, “it wasn’t the conclusion I think everybody would’ve liked.”
“We were hoping that this was going to turn into a teachable moment, that Kevin Hart would still be hosting the Oscars and he would be using this moment not only to show his evolution around the LGBTQ community but also to then use the Oscars stage, one of the biggest stages in the world, to help build unity and awareness around the LGBTQ community and how we are marginalized in this country,” Ellis continued, adding that she has been in contact with Hart’s representatives.
The Oscars will be held on February 24, 2019. A replacement host has not yet been announced.
KEVIN HART'S TWEETS DIDN'T DOOM HIM—HIS MESSY APOLOGY DID
Comedian Kevin Hart stepped down as the host of next year's Academy Awards ceremony after his past homophobic tweets surfaced on Thursday.
VERA ANDERSON/GETTY IMAGES
IN THE END, it wasn't the terrible tweets that ended Kevin Hart's chances for Oscar glory—though they certainly didn't help.
The several-years-old missives, filled with homophobic slurs, began circulating almost as soon as Hart was announced as the host of next year's Academy Awards ceremony. The 39-year-old actor and comedian deleted many of the messages, including a 2011 tweet in which he wrote that, were his son to play with his daughter's dollhouse, Hart would "break it over his head & say n my voice 'stop that's gay.'" But the internet quickly dug up several more crude and cruel statements from his Twitter feed, some of which included terms like "FAT FAG" and jokes about AIDS.
By Thursday morning, Hart's Oscar-hosting gig was clearly in jeopardy, though it wasn't necessarily gone for good: A sincere apology—coupled with evidence that he'd matured and learned since those older jokes—possibly could have helped him.
But then, just as things were getting bad, Hart did something truly stupid: He decided to go back online.
In an Instagram post from that morning, Hart appeared bratty, defensive, and completely dismissive of the growing pushback (he also seemed kind of drowsy, possibly because he filmed it from a bed). "Our world is becoming beyond crazy," Hart complained, "and I'm not gonna let the craziness frustrate me … if you don't believe people change, grow, evolve as they get older, [then] I don't know what to tell you." In the accompanying caption, he wrote, "If u want to search my history or past and anger yourselves with what u find that is fine with me. I'm almost 40 years old and I'm in love with the man I am becoming."
By the day's end, that man had clearly become very, very annoyed. "I just got a call from the Academy," he said in a follow-up post, "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' … I chose to pass. I passed on the apology." He also appeared to pin the controversy to "internet trolls." It was an outrageous blunder: Faced with claims that his words had hurt others, Hart didn't bother to listen; instead, he simply lashed out.
His boastful resentment made his Oscar gig all the more ick-inducing—and all the more doomed. A few hours later, Hart tweeted that he was stepping down as host, giving his regrets to "the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past."
For someone with Kevin Hart's visibility to grapple with the hateful words of his past—ones which still sting today—would be a fairly remarkable sight in 2018.
The tacked-on mea culpa, which was almost assuredly vetted (if not scripted) by a team of handlers, was an obviously insincere change of Hart: Only a few hours earlier, he'd been proudly and patronizingly asserting his righteousness. Now he was suddenly claiming to feel sorry for a controversy he never seemed to understand. In a year of botched celebrity apologies—from Roseanne Barr's doubling down to Lena Dunham's effing up—Hart changing his position from "sorry, not sorry" to "I'll say I'm sorry if it shuts you all up and I can finally take this nap I clearly need" was a new species of speciousness. At least when he was being an asshole, he was being honest to who he was.
It didn't have to be end like this. Hart's tweets were odious and vicious, and were probably going to sink his Oscar chances no matter what. But he was in a rare position to actually do some changing, growing, evolving, in a very public way. He's one of the biggest performers in the world, with nearly 35 million Twitter followers and an audience of 66 million on Instagram. Interacting with his fans—and bringing them along as he gets more and more famous—has been a huge factor in his standup and in his success.
People listen to Hart. So what if he'd used this an as opportunity to listen to others—specifically, to those who were so hurt by this comments? No one likes the term "teachable moment," because it's flimsy, and overused, and makes whomever's using it sound like a YouTube life coach with a flailing Patreon account. And yet … this could have been a teachable moment, one in which Hart actually engages with his critics, instead of churlishly attacking them from his bed. For someone with Hart's visibility to grapple with the hateful words of his past—ones which still sting today—would be a fairly remarkable sight in 2018. It could have actually shown someone's ability to confront what they'd done in real time. The online-rage cycle we have in place now doesn't work: People yell, a celebrity scrambles to make nice, and the underlying problem is never addressed. No one learns a thing; no issue is ever really resolved.
Hart, though, is someone who constantly boasts of his own self-improvement. In his initial Instagram message on Thursday, he spoke as if he'd evolved since sending those homophobic tweets several years ago, yet the video itself proved he hadn't. "You LIVE and YOU LEARN & YOU GROW & YOU MATURE," he wrote in the caption. The loss of one of the industry's most high-profile gigs represents a chance to do all of those things. Here's hoping he doesn't sleep on it.
Comedian Kevin Hart stepped down as the host of next year's Academy Awards ceremony after his past homophobic tweets surfaced on Thursday.
VERA ANDERSON/GETTY IMAGES
IN THE END, it wasn't the terrible tweets that ended Kevin Hart's chances for Oscar glory—though they certainly didn't help.
The several-years-old missives, filled with homophobic slurs, began circulating almost as soon as Hart was announced as the host of next year's Academy Awards ceremony. The 39-year-old actor and comedian deleted many of the messages, including a 2011 tweet in which he wrote that, were his son to play with his daughter's dollhouse, Hart would "break it over his head & say n my voice 'stop that's gay.'" But the internet quickly dug up several more crude and cruel statements from his Twitter feed, some of which included terms like "FAT FAG" and jokes about AIDS.
By Thursday morning, Hart's Oscar-hosting gig was clearly in jeopardy, though it wasn't necessarily gone for good: A sincere apology—coupled with evidence that he'd matured and learned since those older jokes—possibly could have helped him.
But then, just as things were getting bad, Hart did something truly stupid: He decided to go back online.
In an Instagram post from that morning, Hart appeared bratty, defensive, and completely dismissive of the growing pushback (he also seemed kind of drowsy, possibly because he filmed it from a bed). "Our world is becoming beyond crazy," Hart complained, "and I'm not gonna let the craziness frustrate me … if you don't believe people change, grow, evolve as they get older, [then] I don't know what to tell you." In the accompanying caption, he wrote, "If u want to search my history or past and anger yourselves with what u find that is fine with me. I'm almost 40 years old and I'm in love with the man I am becoming."
By the day's end, that man had clearly become very, very annoyed. "I just got a call from the Academy," he said in a follow-up post, "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' … I chose to pass. I passed on the apology." He also appeared to pin the controversy to "internet trolls." It was an outrageous blunder: Faced with claims that his words had hurt others, Hart didn't bother to listen; instead, he simply lashed out.
His boastful resentment made his Oscar gig all the more ick-inducing—and all the more doomed. A few hours later, Hart tweeted that he was stepping down as host, giving his regrets to "the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past."
For someone with Kevin Hart's visibility to grapple with the hateful words of his past—ones which still sting today—would be a fairly remarkable sight in 2018.
The tacked-on mea culpa, which was almost assuredly vetted (if not scripted) by a team of handlers, was an obviously insincere change of Hart: Only a few hours earlier, he'd been proudly and patronizingly asserting his righteousness. Now he was suddenly claiming to feel sorry for a controversy he never seemed to understand. In a year of botched celebrity apologies—from Roseanne Barr's doubling down to Lena Dunham's effing up—Hart changing his position from "sorry, not sorry" to "I'll say I'm sorry if it shuts you all up and I can finally take this nap I clearly need" was a new species of speciousness. At least when he was being an asshole, he was being honest to who he was.
It didn't have to be end like this. Hart's tweets were odious and vicious, and were probably going to sink his Oscar chances no matter what. But he was in a rare position to actually do some changing, growing, evolving, in a very public way. He's one of the biggest performers in the world, with nearly 35 million Twitter followers and an audience of 66 million on Instagram. Interacting with his fans—and bringing them along as he gets more and more famous—has been a huge factor in his standup and in his success.
People listen to Hart. So what if he'd used this an as opportunity to listen to others—specifically, to those who were so hurt by this comments? No one likes the term "teachable moment," because it's flimsy, and overused, and makes whomever's using it sound like a YouTube life coach with a flailing Patreon account. And yet … this could have been a teachable moment, one in which Hart actually engages with his critics, instead of churlishly attacking them from his bed. For someone with Hart's visibility to grapple with the hateful words of his past—ones which still sting today—would be a fairly remarkable sight in 2018. It could have actually shown someone's ability to confront what they'd done in real time. The online-rage cycle we have in place now doesn't work: People yell, a celebrity scrambles to make nice, and the underlying problem is never addressed. No one learns a thing; no issue is ever really resolved.
Hart, though, is someone who constantly boasts of his own self-improvement. In his initial Instagram message on Thursday, he spoke as if he'd evolved since sending those homophobic tweets several years ago, yet the video itself proved he hadn't. "You LIVE and YOU LEARN & YOU GROW & YOU MATURE," he wrote in the caption. The loss of one of the industry's most high-profile gigs represents a chance to do all of those things. Here's hoping he doesn't sleep on it.