Don Lemon breaks down why Kevin Hart's 'apology' just doesn't cut it
Kevin Hart probably expected his interview with Ellen DeGeneres, one of the most beloved lesbians in America, to clear him of any wrongdoing.
Instead, Hart sparked even further outrage, claiming that he had already apologized to the LGBTQ community — when no real apology could be found. Ellen was quick to accept Hart's claim.
Twitter and CNN host Don Lemon was not.
SEE ALSO: Kevin Hart released a truly awful statement about his homophobic tweets
On his show Friday, Lemon carefully broke down why Hart's "apology" wasn't good enough for him. Hart had previously agreed to stop posting offensive content, but only because crowds had grown more sensitive.
"Apologizing and moving on does not make the world a better place for people who are gay or people who are transgender, being an ally does," Lemon said.
Hart may have intended his anti-LGBT jokes to be simply humorous. For those who've been victimized because of their gender or sexuality, Lemon went onto argue, none of it is funny:
Twitter largely echoed Lemon's thoughts:
It is remarkable to see Kevin Hart do a media blitz to drive the false narrative that he is a victim in a controversy of his own creation. It’s also quite curious to see he’s only talking to white people about it. https://t.co/VZuudg6GqP
— Michael Arceneaux (@youngsinick) January 5, 2019
Literally tearing up watching @donlemon’s thoughtful, piercing essay on @KevinHart4real, homophobia within the black community, and why it’s not @TheEllenShow’s place to act as the forgiver here. Really, find it and watch. (Or send me link and I’ll thread here)
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) January 5, 2019
This morning I would encourage everyone to remember that Kevin Hart’s jokes aren’t of the garden variety mockery of gay men (limp wrists, effeminate voices etc), but promotion of violence against LGBTQ youth and HIV stigma. Don’t ask why it upsets us, ask why it doesn’t upset you
— Phillip Henry (@MajorPhilebrity) January 5, 2019
This is so powerful and so moving. Thank you @donlemon.
Especially in the black community, homophobia is not a joke. It has life or death consequences for black children and transgender people. https://t.co/2oES1MR67e— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) January 5, 2019
As a Black queer someone who, when my body began to manifest aspects of my identity even I was unaware of was punched in the chest by Black men in my family and told to “man up,” Ellen can’t and doesn’t speak for me. #KevinHart https://t.co/biFbhtGTdm
— Tre'vell Anderson (@TrevellAnderson) January 4, 2019
In short, being human allows Kevin Hart to make mistakes, grow and seek forgiveness for his past. Perhaps he has grown, but I absolutely refuse to be gaslit into him being some martyr for refusing to simply say “I’m sorry. I was wrong. It was wrong. Won’t happen again.”
— Phillip Henry (@MajorPhilebrity) January 5, 2019
On Saturday morning, Hart responded to the controversy on his personal Instagram:
A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on Jan 5, 2019 at 8:34am PST
It's now rumored that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may re-consider Hart as the 2019 Oscar host after his interview with Ellen on Friday.
The drama — and people's real pain — will continue.
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