Ellen DeGeneres faces huge backlash for defending Kevin Hart over Oscars controversy

Hart was backed by the talk show host
Safeeyah Kazi4 January 2019
The Weekender

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Ellen DeGeneres has been faced with huge backlash after she showed support for Kevin Hart following the Oscars controversy.

Hart stepped down from hosting the Oscars last month after tweets from 2009 and 2011 resurfaced containing offensive language towards the LGBT community.

Hart announced on Twitter that he was stepping aside as he apologised for his "insensitive" words.

During an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show, Hart apologised again for the tweets but said he did not want the awards to be about his "tweets from 10 years ago and homophobia".

US talk-show host DeGeneres said she was eager get Hart reinstated as host at the prestigious ceremony, throwing her support behind the comedian.

DeGeneres revealed she called the Academy in a bid to ask for their point of view and said they told her: “We want him to host, whatever we can do, we’d be thrilled. The Academy is saying, ‘What can we do to make this happen.’”

She later took to social media to emphasise her support for Hart in a post: “I believe in forgiveness. I believe in second chances. And I believe in @KevinHart4real. In this conversation, @KevinHart4real was authentic and real, and I’m in his corner. #OscarsNeedHart.”

But the support was met with outrage from DeGeneres’ followers.

One user wrote: “Kevin reacted with ego instead of compassion. Reducing people's valid feelings to those disappointing comments to being trolls is disappointing.”

Another commented: “I wish that @TheEllenShow understood that in her attempt to help her friend w/ a disappointing world-view get a second chance, she effectively silenced the righteous critiques of the communities he harmed.” [sic]

However, others backed the host, highlighting her compassion is essential for change.

One user wrote: “Thanks Ellen. There needs to be room to allow people to grow and change. There is no use to punish people indefinitely for mistakes they made.”

Another added: “He did apologize, 10 years ago. Either accept his apology from then or drop it because in the present day it's a non-issue. The Kevin Hart of 10 years ago is gone. Think of the stupidest most immature thing you ever did, would you like your character to FOREVER be based on that?”

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