The Oscar's: The Kevin Hart Saga
The Oscars or the Academy Awards is a time to recognize excellence in the cinematic achievements of individuals within the film industry. This year, Sunday, February 24, 2019, will mark the 90th year of the Awards. Every year, there’s a host that makes sure that the ceremonies run smoothly. These hosts have included actors and actresses, film directors, musicians, and comedians. Kevin Hart was chosen to be the host for this year's award ceremony, and all seemed perfect. Kevin Hart accepted the invitation and spoke about how it was always his lifelong dream to host the show.
However, two days later (after accepting the invitation), some of Kevin Hart's old tweets (homophobic) began to surface and go viral between 7-10 years ago. Kevin Hart stated no sooner than a day after these tweets started circulating in response to his old tweets' concerns. He explained that he has grown since then and that they weren't directed towards anyone from the gay community, nor was the intention to hurt anyone. Kevin also stated that he's addressed the tweets/statements in the past and had no intentions of continuously apologizing. After the Academy gave him an ultimatum to apologize or step down, he chose the latter. At this point, he stated he didn't want to become a distraction and take away from the night.
After all the backlash, Ellen DeGeneres brought Kevin onto her show to speak about the tweets and discuss the topic. Her words to Kevin were, “… there are so many haters out there; whatever’s going on on the internet, ignore them. That’s a small group of people being very, very loud. We’re a huge group of people who love you and want to see you host the Oscars”. Ellen took it upon herself to vouch for Kevin as a part of the LGBT Community. However, no sooner did the conversation air than Ellen was met with people ridiculing her for siding with Kevin and being so willing to forgive him for his comments.
After the backlash, Kevin issued a series of apologies, starting with his Instagram. Kevin Hart then issued another formal apology, this time on his radio show, saying, "We thought it was okay to talk like that because that's how we talked to one another... This is wrong now. Because now we're in a space where I'm around people of the LGBTQ community, and I'm now aware of how these words make them feel, and why they say, 'That shit hurt because of what I've been through.'"
This is where Don Lemon comes into the picture.
The 13-year CNN journalist criticized Kevin and Ellen for how they handled the situation. He felt that Kevin stepping away from the Oscars wasn't the right thing to do. Instead, he thought that he should become an "ally." Even though Don Lemon spoke with Kevin, the interview was off the record, and he promised not to discuss the specifics. However, he did say that Kevin Hart declined the offer.
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