Kevin Hart answered criticism of his old homophobic jokes and recent comments from CNN anchor Don Lemon by asking Saturday if we’ve forgotten that people can grow and learn.
“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,” Hart wrote in a Saturday morning post. “You can’t change without a understanding of what GROWTH means. #Message #LiveLoveLaugh #HappySaturday …..Please grasp this and use it in 2019”
Hart’s comments were accompanied by a list of professions in which people learn how to behave “correctly” — a list which concludes with the job of journalists, who, Hart said, “have to LEARN and develop to be great at their job.”
Reps for Hart did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for additional comment.
Here’s his post:
In an emotional statement during his CNN show Friday night, Lemon called out Hart for what the news anchor said is a highly inadequate response voiced on “Ellen” to the offense over his homophobic comments, and called on Hart to do more to “be an ally” to the LGBT community.
Lemon said that Hart’s apology on Twitter “and explanations on ‘Ellen’ have fallen flat… To many it seems he has somehow turned himself a victim, instead of acknowledging the real victims of violent and sometimes deadly homophobia.”
Hart has scrubbed his Twitter account of old anti-gay tweets that surfaced after he was tapped as Oscar host in December. He also stepped down and apologized.
In an interview with DeGeneres, Hart suggested he might want to reclaim the gig.
The Academy did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The quagmire erupted after Guardian editor Benjamin Lee tweeted out screen grabs of some of Hart’s now-deleted messages on Twitter, including one from 2011 in which he wrote: “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.”
BuzzFeed’s Adam Vary then tweeted a scrolling video of dozens of Hart’s anti-gay tweets.