Kevin Hart talks to Ellen Degeneres if he will Host the Oscars on February 24, 2019
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| Photo Credit: Paras Griffin (Getty Images for Universal Pictures) |
Article By: Tonja Renée Stidhum
Source: The Root
Kevin Hart appeared on the Ellen Degeneres talk show today to discuss whether or not he will host the Oscars after Ellen reveals that the Academy wants him to back.
“I called [the Academy], I said, ‘Kevin’s on, I have no idea if he wants to come back and host, but what are your thoughts?’ And they were like, ‘Oh my God, we want him to host. We feel like that maybe he misunderstood or it was handled wrong or maybe we said the wrong thing but we want him to host. Whatever we can do we would be thrilled. And he should host the Oscars,’” she noted.
“This is a conversation I needed to have, I’m glad that I had it here, and I’m glad that it was as authentic and real as I could have hoped that it would be,” Kevin said. “So let me assess, just to sit in this space and really think, and you and I will talk before anything else.”
“This is bigger than the Oscars,” Hart said. He’s right; it is. Which is why the focus shouldn’t be on the trolls. Look, I’m sure they exist. There are people out there strategically awaiting one’s downfall. But, it’s not about them. It’s about the little boys and girls who identify with that hypothetical situation involving a thrash to the head because they’re gay. For them and for many people of the LGBTQ community, it’s just not a hypothetical tweet or a harmless joke—it’s real.
“As a gay person, I am sensitive to all of that,” Ellen told Kevin. “You’ve already expressed that it’s not being educated on the subject, not realizing how dangerous those words are, not realizing how many kids are killed for being gay or beaten up every day. You have grown, you have apologized, you are apologizing again right now. You’re done it.”
From The Root
Now, we all know specifically appearing on Ellen’s show was a major PR move. However, there’s a valid argument here that while any decision of forgiveness should be left to those who were targeted with the offense, Ellen does not represent everyone in the LGBTQ community as a white gay woman. Intersection exists for a reason and needs to be accounted for. She forgives him, but that doesn’t mean anyone else has to. Again, true atonement cannot be brushed away with a single stroke. It cannot be shined up pretty like an Oscar statuette and everything is all good and dandy. This shall be an ongoing conversation and if Kevin has sense, he’ll be open to having it (and doing the work) even if it makes him uncomfortable.
As we know, the Academy Awards ceremony is usually filled with winners. We’ll see if Kevin Hart ends up “winning” here...and in the long run.
The 91st Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 24.
