Fans are savaging Ellen DeGeneres after she appealed to their sense of forgiveness in defense of fellow comic Kevin Hart, who was pressured into declining an offer of hosting the Oscars over his decade-old homophobic tweets.
DeGeneres, whose on-screen coming-out made television history, offered Hart a chance to explain himself on her show after controversy over his 10-year-old tweets forced him to turn down a chance to host the Academy Awards.
After he explained that he’s already apologized, grown up, and evolved since then – “I’m not that guy anymore” – DeGeneres told him that she’s called the Academy to ask for him to be reinstated.
Ellen may believe in forgiveness, but her fans certainly don’t. Many were outraged that she had forgiven Hart on their behalf, claiming that she could not speak for the entire LGBT community – and that his apologies had never happened.
Unfortunately Mrs Ellen, this ain’t your fight. The harm is done and this man hasn’t learned. He is worried about his pockets being harmed.
Not the community he has harmed https://t.co/GdTpweBjDR
— George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) January 4, 2019
In my house, these words and attitudes manifested themselves at dinner tables, family gatherings, school events, and more. They hurt me so, so much, but confronting the men who made me feel that way and then us moving forward together (in love!) helped all of us heal.
— Phillip Picardi (@pfpicardi) January 4, 2019
Others insisted that he hadn’t flagellated himself sufficiently to be forgiven.
I feel like if you’re not homophobic anymore, you shouldn’t mind apologizing for your past homophobia again and again and again. I don’t want to hear a hostile retelling of how we didn’t hear your meager apology the first time.
— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) January 4, 2019
"Don't destroy a man over this"
"Ok…the world was different place 10 years ago and I can see how telling a homoph-"
"And let him host the oscars"
"What?"
This is not how forgiveness and atonement work. At all. Understanding the harm takes time. He hasn't done the work.
— Felicity (@lissie_w) January 4, 2019
A few people stuck up for Ellen, but they probably weren’t the kind of supporters she and Hart wanted.
Never apologize to liberals for facts or jokes that hurt their little feelings. Laugh at them even harder instead.
— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) January 5, 2019
Very big of her.
Of course, if Trump had said the homophobic things Kevin Hart tweeted, Ellen would have led the furious unforgiving 'woke' rage against him.
Liberal celebrity hypocrisy is such a limitless vibe. https://t.co/bvr7oZi0hU— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 4, 2019
Hart described the focus on his 10-year-old tweets as “a malicious attack on my character,” noting that one would have to scroll through 40,000 tweets during the intervening years to dig them up. Ellen tried to put him at ease, telling him not to listen to “a small group of people being very, very loud.”
The only thing @KevinHart4real proved by going on Ellen was that he is a terrible actor with zero genuine remorse who didn’t have the decency to address his ignorance. No, they weren’t “haters” who came after you. It was the LGBTQI+ community because we’re sick to shit of it.
— Harry Cook (@HarryCook) January 4, 2019
Meanwhile, Hart is reportedly reconsidering hosting the Oscars. No word on whether the “haters” have forced him to have another change of heart.
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