*The little guy with the big jokes, Kevin Hart has thought about and now, once again, has decided against hosting the Oscars. More on that shortly. But en route to that decision, Hart had to deal with heat from newscaster Don Lemon.
Friday night on his “CNN Tonight” broadcast, Lemon shared his thoughts on the hubbub surrounding Kevin Hart and the Oscars.
“Kevin, if anything this is the time to hear other people out, to hear why they might have been offended, the openly gay anchor said. “I don’t see any meaningful outreach to the community…. and now you want the conversation to end.” Lemon added that, for many people, the apologies Hart has given have fallen flat. “To many they seem insincere, and that he has somehow turned himself into a victim instead of acknowledging the real victims of violent and sometimes deadly homophobia.”
On Saturday, Hart posted his response to Lemon’s segment about him on Instagram.
“When did we get to the point where we forgot that we all learn, then we all have the ability to grow and with that growth comes a wealth of knowledge,” Hart wrote. “You can’t change without a understanding of what GROWTH means. #Message #LiveLoveLaugh #HappySaturday”
Hart also wrote: “Basketball players aren’t great until they LEARN how to play the game correctly. Teachers are great teachers when they LEARN how to get thru to kids correctly.” He ended the text with a pointed remark: “A news anchor or a journalist does not start at the top…they have to LEARN and develop to be great at their job.”
It’s also been pointed out that besides Lemon, several prominent journalists, including Buzzfeed News‘ David Mack, have criticized Hart’s response to the controversy over his past homophobic remarks as well as his Ellen appearance.
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Now as far as Hart not hosting the Oscars, as of this posting, that’s the way it’s looking. Yes, we thought that was already the position that he’d taken just two days after accepting the (thankless) job. But, due to the efforts of (former Oscar host) Ellen DeGeneres, who lobbied the Academy to reconsider Hart, it he will not reemerge as host of the 91st Academy Awards, according to Deadline. The situation could certainly change, but a “no” looks to be his final answer.
Meanwhile, the Academy appears to be planning an Oscarcast devoid of a host and will instead will enlist some of the biggest A and B-listers to present awards.
