Kevin Hart credits Wanda Sykes for helping him understand why his homophobic jokes were damaging

Kevin Hart sat down with Anderson Cooper over the weekend for a 60 Minutes interview during which the subject of Hart’s past homophobia came up.

As you may recall, in 2019, the producers of the Academy Awards recruited Hart to host the ceremony. However, shortly after it was announced, homophobic tweets Hart had written years earlier surfaced.

Back in 2011, he’d posted a tweet saying, “Yo if my son comes home & try’s 2 play with my daughters doll house I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay’.”

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Hart deleted that particular tweet when it came back to haunt him years later.

Lightbulb moment

Hart made similar comments during stand-up appearances.

In a 2010 special called Seriously Funny, he said, “One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay. That’s a fear. Keep in mind, I’m not homophobic, I have nothing against gay people, do what you want to do, but me, being a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.”

As controversy around his past remarks blew up, Hart stepped down from the planned Oscars gig and later apologized for his previous comments.

Talking to Cooper last weekend, Hart says it was fellow comic Wanda Sykes who explained to him why his old tweets were so damaging. He said she helped him experience “the best light bulb ever” in understanding the issue.

“Wanda Sykes said, ‘There’s people that are being hurt today because of comments like the ones that you made then, and there’s people that were saying it’s okay to make those comments today based off of what you did then,’ ” Hart explained.

“It was presented to me in a way where I couldn’t ignore that. So in those moments of despair, great understanding and education can come out of it if you’re given the opportunity,” he added.

“In those moments of despair, great understanding, and education can come out of it if you're given the opportunity,” says Kevin Hart, whose comments about the gay community onstage and on Twitter sparked a controversy. https://t.co/0rEqdUbKxi pic.twitter.com/OqWo9XSMx3

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) April 21, 2024

Hart’s career suffered a setback when he lost the Oscars gig. However, he soon bounced back. He has continued to work consistently, appearing in movies such as Jumanji: The Next Level, Me Time and Lift, among others.

Sykes herself went on to co-host the Oscars in 2022, alongside Amy Schumer and Regina Hall. Let’s take a moment to enjoy their opening monologue once again.

It’s so great to see Hart’s evolution and to know Sykes played such an impactful role in helping him learn and grow. We’re proud of both of them!

Related:

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