Yesterday, Jussie Smollett was attacked by two white men wearing ski masks who shouted, “Aren’t you that f*ggot ‘Empire’ n*gger?” before pouncing on him, breaking his rib, sliding a noose around his neck, dousing him in bleach, and fleeing the scene.
Related: Jussie Smollet attacked by homophobes who tied a noose around his neck and doused him in bleach
Smollett was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries. The Chicago Police Department is now investigating the incident as a “possible hate crime.”
The response to the attack has been a mix of shock, sadness, heartbreak, and outrage, with a number of celebrities, activists, and other public figures speaking out in support of Smollett, who has since been released from this hospital.
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Related: Twitter responds to the attempted lynching of Jussie Smollett
Among the calls for love and tolerance was none other than… Kevin Hart?
In an Instagram post, Hart called the incident “unbelievably sad” and decried society going “backwards.”
“This is unbelievably sad,” he wrote. “Why are we going backwards….this is disgusting. We as people have to do better. WTF is going on the world????”
He continued: “Why are we falling in love with hate???? God damn it people….Choose love…I repeat…Choose love. I will forever choose love and I will continue to teach my kids how to do the same. Stand strong brother”
The post was also shared on Hart’s Twitter page, where, let’s just say, it wasn’t received very warmly.
Here are just some of the responses…
This is why someone’s jokes about beating their gay son were never funny
— Ira (@ira) January 29, 2019
You should have just sat there and ate your food, Kevin. Ain’t nobody trying to watch you use this for an op.
— Dimitrius Jones (@iDimitriusJones) January 30, 2019
But keep joking about beating up your kid for being gay, Kevin Hart!
— sam greisman (@SAMGREIS) January 29, 2019
— Sait? Hajime (@AGirlTiana) January 30, 2019
Where’s Kevin Hart and DL Hughley with some more of their little homophobic jokes? Since it’s all just funny and accountability isn’t important.
— Preston Mitchum (@PrestonMitchum) January 29, 2019
Do you see why the “jokes” weren’t funny now??
— Bethany West (@niale_west) January 30, 2019
But they don’t stop there…
— Maurice ?? (@aTattedGoodBoi) January 30, 2019
Given what we’ve seen so far, I fully expect the men who attacked Jussie Smollett to score a sit-down interview with Ellen at some point in the next few weeks. Maybe it will be a roundtable discussion with Kevin Hart.
— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) January 29, 2019
— Sade-Mayne Magod $tyff1004 (@tyff1004) January 30, 2019
No, ‘We’ don’t have to do better. You do, Kevin.
— Yagate Seibaa Ni Naru | VOTE HANAMARU FOR CENTER (@SeibaaHomu) January 30, 2019
— Oftrevante. (@D0wJ0nEs) January 30, 2019
Reading all these comments are giving me LIIIIFFFFEEEEE
— Sarah E Gonzales (@MaestraGonzales) January 30, 2019
At least D.L. Hughley, who was one of Kevin Hart’s loudest supporters during his whole homophobic joke scandal, had the good sense not to comment on the Smollett story.
Oh, wait.
Absolutely terrible… ???? Sadly #thisisamerica . IT NEEDS TO CHANGE!! #TeamDL #hatecrime #maga #trumpsamerica #FUCKTRUMP #Repost @TheRoot with get_repost
???#MAGA supporters in Chicago… https://t.co/dzm0e9rwF2— DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) January 29, 2019
And the response…
I’m surprised you don’t think he’s too strong to get assaulted… pic.twitter.com/OyqDezTJrt
— Tina (@buttsnrainbows) January 29, 2019
Stfu
— Moni Baby (@Plum_Velvet) January 29, 2019
This is why it’s never funny to joke 5 or 10 years ago or day ago about beating your son if you find out he’s gay!
— IULIIl (@Diversityis_Key) January 29, 2019
are you going to discuss the homophobia involved and how you have “jokingly” used homophobic rhetoric unapologetically
— Gunner Doyle (@GunnerDoyle) January 29, 2019
Love you DL, but please tell me the gay jokes are a thing of the past. We all have to do better.
— TerryHasAnOpinon (@Terrysagirl) January 30, 2019
Bob LaBlah
In the case of ol’ Down Low Hughley I say this: for a man who calls himself an top of the line start entertainer consider yourself lucky that I am the only one who sees a blaring neon sign across your forehead that says Down Low. Yes, dear, you come off as a closet queen to me. Always have and always will. It seems these days of late you are good for nothing else but comments on gay related stories that have nothing to do with you. I always thought a top line entertainer would be talking about the job offers and the locales of their present/next on road show. The hot second your show was on television I never watched it and I can see I did myself a favor.
Donston
I’m not someone who will hold anyone’s old tweets or “jokes” over their head forever. Nonetheless, some people truly don’t understand that their words (particularly if you have some level of fame) do hold weight. And they can be used to help justify someone’s hate, resentment and/or terrible behaviors. So, yeah, “joking” that you would hurt your son if he ever said he was gay and putting zero context with it was never funny nor ever going to be funny.
When stuff like this happens I do worry that folks will over politicize it. But people feeling they can hurt anyone due to race, religion, gender, orientation, identity, sexual/romantic/relationship preferences is just not unacceptable. And the sh*t happen every day, just very rarely does it happen to someone in the spotlight.
Tony1129
So very true!
MISTERJETT
Kevin Hart, those fools did the same thing to Jussie that you said you would do to your son.
Curtispsf
While it’s impossible to FORGET the insensitivity and hatefulness of his prior comments, the time has come to FORGIVE Kevin Hart and accept that he has changed. I see nothing outrageous or hurtful in his reaction to Jussie Smollett’s attempted lynching. Instead, his message is one of love and support for Jussie so WHY does Queerty’s headline read that “Twitter rips into Hart’s reaction to the attack on Jussie Smollett” ? Queerty seems to thrive on creating conflict when there is none present. Shame on you, Queerty. Move on and find some other Queen to attack. Or show some more underwear “ads”. Or tell us just how much straight men love gay sex. C’mon, you haven’t used that line in at least a week.
Brian
I can’t think of anyone who has addressed and apologized for his past comments as Kevin Hart has. We demand apologies from these people, but part of that is accepting it and moving forward. If people are going to apologize and still have it held over their heads for the rest of their lives, what’s the point or motivation to do it in the first place?
Sadly, I think Louis CK has it right. He apologized, laid low for awhile, kissed off his former audience knowing that would never forgive him, and changed the course of his career to try to attract a new audience, the people who are sick of the digging up sins from decades ago culture that were in today. Whether it works or not remains to be seen, but if it does I think we will see a lot of people using his strategy in the future.
Donston
The problem is Hart only genuinely apologized recently after weeks of initial half-assed “sorry ’bout that’s”. He never confronted his actual comments (especially the one about hurting his son if he ever said he was gay). And he also was quick to play the victim. He just completely mishandled it. Had he fully confronted it right from the get-go it likely wouldn’t have gotten as far as it did.
At a certain point you really do need to let sh*t go. But this is the internet, and these sites thrive on tension, division and negative energy. That’s how they make their money.
Doug
How long are we going to keep beating up on Kevin Hart? It seems like no matter what he does, he can’t win.
Scout
You’re right. “Forgiveness” seems to be missing from current vocabulary regardless of what the atonements might be. It’s much more in vogue to hate than forgive.
WindsorOntario
Kevin Hart can go fck off & he can take Ellen with him.
He has this fixed look on his face like someone just stood up and farted in front of him.
strix1
Some of those twitter people I think just live to knock people down. They make a sincere post and all anyone can do is drudge up the past and knock them down. I’ve always taken what comedians say with a grain of salt and not take them too seriously. They have to try their idea of comedy out, and if people accept it, they go with it…and unless enough people don’t laugh or “protest” against it they will keep using it. Today they should have a better idea, although now people get offended if you look at them wrong. If I was a comedian, I would be f’d because my filter never works.
randeman
Problem is, there are a lot of simple-minded people out there, both bigot and non-bigot alike, who are stupid enough to believe anything anyone whom they hold in high regard says. Case in point, the MAGA crowd.
Black Pegasus
Kevin Hart and DL Hughley can kiss my black ass! We don’t want your regards or well wishes. Fvck both of you!
Tony1129
Stop living in the past, learn to love and forgive. Your anger keeps you from doing that.
jcoberkrom
It would be nice if the black community addressed their homophobia.
AlanBap62
I am a gay man, and I realize how offensive and hurtful jokes such as the ones Kevin Hart told are. However, do we answer hateful or hurting behavior or words with hate and more hurt? Is our intention to destroy someone instead of trying to teach them and forgive them? How long does Kevin Hart have to pay for mistakes made in the past? Everyone doubts his concern and sadness over what happened to Jusse. Why? Can you prove for a fact that this is only a PR ploy and that he isn’t sincere? This is part of the reason that nothing changes. People who are homophobic or racist continue to be so when we react so strongly as to appear hateful, showing them that they are evil, as opposed to trying to tell prove that racism and homophobia are evil but they aren’t. We continue to build the walls between us higher and higher. Everyone – liberal or conservative – jumps to a negative and hateful position.