Rapper, actor and comedian Nick Cannon has come to the defence of Kevin Hart, after the comic’s homophobic tweets came to light.
Taking to Twitter, 38-year-old Cannon re-posted old, offensive tweets from other famous comedians such as Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler, and Amy Schumer; arguing how they had not received the same sort of backlash.
These resurfaced tweets used the sort of homophobic language Hart has since been criticised for, and Cannon has suggested there has been a double standard.
One tweet from Handler, which dates back to June 2010, read:
This is what a f*g bird likes like when he flexes.
Another tweet, made by Silverman in May 2010, said:
I don’t mean this in a hateful way but the new bachelorette’s a f*ggot.
A 2012 tweet from Schumer read:
Enjoy Skyfall f*gs. I’m bout to get knee deep in Helen Hunt #thesessions
In reference to Schumer’s tweet, one person replied to Cannon:
They’ve already moved passed her. Like they’ve moved passed Kevin.
Every word, thought, deed and action you will be responsible for….10, 20, 30 years from now… every seed planted will produce a consequence!!
While you auditing tweets, you need to audit yours!
In response to this, Cannon said:
Nope!! You know I’ve been saying fucked up shit since twitter started! I don’t play that politically correct bullshit! F*ck politics!! Only Truth!
Cannon isn’t the only celebrity to defend Hart after his inappropriate tweets came to public attention, with fellow comedians Cedric the Entertainer and DL Hughley having shown their support.
The tweets in question were recently dug up by The Guardian’s east coast arts editor Benjamin Lee, who screengrabbed and shared them via Twitter.
One tweet, from 2011, read:
Yo if my son comes home & try’s 2 play with my daughter’s doll house I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay’.
Another tweet, from 2009, said:
U should ask the question like this, how many “gay” men sweat when they wear dress shirts because real don’t lmao p.s f*g.
Following the re-emergence of these controversial tweets, Hart stepped down from hosting the 2019 Oscars ceremony and has apologised for any hurt his ‘insensitive words’ may have caused.
Announcing his voluntary resignation over Twitter, Hart said:
I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s….this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.
In a separate tweet, Hart continued:
I’m sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.