Kevin Hart Responds To ‘Ellen’ Backlash On Instagram
On Saturday, Kevin Hart responded to his controversial appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, reminding his fans and haters that everyone learns and grows.
As The Hollywood Reporter reports, Hart has been embroiled in controversy for months now, and it seems that no matter what he does, he only winds up deeper in it. The comedian was originally tapped to host the 2019 Academy Awards. However, when years-old tweets — that were taken by some as homophobic — resurfaced, Hart was asked by the Academy to apologize. He declined, saying that he had addressed his old homophobic tweets in the past and that there was no point in revisiting the topic. Hart was relieved of his hosting duties; as of this writing, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has not yet named a replacement host.
Last week, as reported by the Inquisitr, Hart stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he found a sympathetic ear in the openly-gay talk-show host. Hart reiterated what he has said since the controversy first erupted: that he has evolved as a human since he first posted those tweets, yet the focus remains on the tweets themselves.
“So now, I’m kind of upset because these 10 years are just being ignored, they’re being brushed passed. No headlines are saying ’10 years ago he apologized.'”
.@ira: Ellen DeGeneres' Kevin Hart interview was an insult to the black LGBTQ community https://t.co/T8cQkVYC1O
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 5, 2019
Even Ellen was on board with letting the water be under the bridge and allowing Hart to be forgiven and be given his job back.
Unfortunately for Hart, the Ellen appearance had the opposite effect of what was intended. Hollywood Reporter writer Ira Madison, for example, called Hart’s appearance an “insult” to the black LGBTQ community.
On Saturday, Hart took to Instagram to respond to the latest controversy-within-a-controversy, once again repeating that the focus needs to be on the fact that he has grown as a human.
“When did we get to the point where we forgot that we all learn, then we all have the ability to grow and with that growth comes a wealth of knowledge. You can’t change without a understanding of what GROWTH means. #Message #LiveLoveLaugh#HappySaturday…..Please grasp this and use it in 2019?
Hart’s own caption was accompanied by a picture of more text, in which he talked about how no one – athletes, teachers, CEO’s, firemen – is perfect at their job without learning and growing along the way.
The 2019 Academy Awards will air Sunday, February 24, 2019, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. As of this writing, a replacement host for Kevin Hart has not been named.
