Kevin Hart isn’t running away from the homophobic tweet controversy, nor is he dodging CNN’s Don Lemon.
Lemon, who’s part of the LGBTQ community, criticized the comedian for not offering an apology when the tweets surfaced last month. Hart said it’s something he’s already apologized for and didn’t want to keep saying sorry.
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In one of his 10-year-old tweets, Hart used a gay slur, and he also said he wouldn’t want his son to be gay during an old stand-up routine.
On Friday, Jan. 4, he went on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to address the tweets further and also discuss dropping out of hosting the Oscars due to the controversy. Then later that night on CNN, Lemon called for the “The Upside” actor to become an ally for the LGBTQ community and help eradicate homophobia across the board, but especially in the Black community.
“Someone like Kevin Hart, with one of the biggest megaphones in the world, can be a leader, the ultimate change agent,” Lemon stated. “He can help change homophobia in the Black community, something Kevin’s old Twitter jokes addressed, but in the wrong way.”
On Monday, Jan. 7, Hart went on his Sirius XM radio show to address the overall controversy. He also issued another apology for the tweets and said he’d do better going forward. But the Philly native admitted that he’s not interested in being a full-on ally for the LGBTQ community and doesn’t appreciate feeling pressured.
“I don’t like the forcing,” said Hart. “Like Don Lemon goes on CNN and he’s like, ‘You can fix this, become an ally.’ That’s not my life dream.”
Later that night Lemon responded and revealed that he spoke to Hart on the phone but wouldn’t reveal the specifics of their conversation.
Lemon did say, however, that he accepts the comedian’s choice to not be an ally for the LGBTQ community and everyone else should, too.
“You can be upset by it. Whatever. However,you want to feel,” he stated. “But that is his right. Whether I like it or not, whether you like it or not, that is his right. … So we have to march on without him. I’m glad he apologized.”
