This weekend on 60 Miniutes, Kevin Hart spoke with Anderson Cooper about lots of things, but the comment that most resonated with alot of viewers was this one. It referenced some jokes he made earlier in his stand-up comedy career that were homophobic. (See the video below) He made reference to opportunities to learn and grow.
It also took someone like Wanda Sykes to knock a little sense into him. Calling her the "best light bulb ever" Hart credits comedian her with helping him gain some understanding.
As a gay woman herself, she certainly knows the power words and attitudes like that have had on the LGBTQ+ community.
"Wanda Sykes said, 'There's people that are being hurt today because of comments like the ones that you made then, and there's people that will think it's okay to make those comments today based off of what you did then," Hart told Cooper. "It was presented to me in a way where I couldn't ignore that."
He tried to blame the negative reactions to those jokes on political correctness making people more sensitive in a Rolling Stone interview in 2015. He was chosen to host the Oscars...but then some of those hurtful jokes surfaced.
One day later, he decided to step down as host, posting an actual apology on Twitter, saying, "I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past. I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so."
He apologized again on his SiriusXM radio show Straight from the Hart, while also calling on people of all persuasions to allow other people the space to grow and change. "If you don’t want to accept people for their change, then where are you trying to get to the equal part?" he asked.
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