We live in the golden age of bad non-apologies, but Kevin Hart's response to recent backlash over resurfaced homophobic jokes might take the cake.
"Stop looking for reasons to be negative... Stop searching for reasons to be angry," Hart wrote in his Instagram, along with a grainy video of him shirtless expressing the same sentiments.
For those playing catch up: On Wednesday, Hart was announced as the host of the 2019 Oscars. Within hours, concerns were raised online that resurfaced a litany of (now-deleted) tweets.
One described how, if he ever saw his son playing with his daughter's doll house, "I’m going 2 break it over his head and say n my voice 'stop that’s gay.'" Others included him using homophobic slurs against other people.
Tweet may have been deleted
These weren't just one-off thoughtless tweets, either. As noted by many, this joke from his 2010 stand-up special Seriously Funny echoed the same bigoted sentiments:
“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.”
On Thursday afternoon, Hart took to Instagram to post a video and caption expressing his support for the real victim in all this: himself.
"I work hard on a daily basis to spread positivity to all," he declared, once again disregarding the feelings and experiences of many in the LGBTQ community. He then suggested that the people his jokes upset should, "take your negative energy and put it into something constructive."
Tweet may have been deleted
Well, you know what they say: The best way to show everyone you know how to "live" "learn" "grow" and "mature" is by blaming them for the consequences of your own actions.
Most infuriatingly, Hart used the same diminishing, condescending excuses from his Seriously Funny joke to try and mask the hostility of his attitude. Hiding behind his brand of happiness and posi-vibes, he finished by declaring "I live to love," and telling everyone to "Have a beautiful day."
Whether or not Hart at all recognizes the "negativity" of his own early, homophobic comedy remains to be seen. But we hope he has a beautiful day.
Topics Twitter Celebrities
