Kevin Hart's associates have defended him amid the homophobic joke scandal, which led to his stepping down from hosting the Oscars. Ellen Degeneres went as far as contacting the Academy to see if they might reconsider their decision, which they ultimately did. Now, many folks are criticizing Ellen Degeneres for her empathy and kindness towards Hart. Social media users are expressing disappointment with the fact that she spoke on behalf of the whole LBGT community while he remarks have harmed one particular faction. CNN reporter Don Lemon has voice similar sentiments. View the clip below.
In one of his segments, Lemon breaks down why Kevin Hart cannot receive forgiveness since the comedian has yet to ask for it in the first place. According to Lemon, although Kevin has addressed the issue of his homophobic jokes, he has never actually offered "an apology or the words 'I'm sorry.'" Later, the journalist turns his attention to Ellen Degeneres. "Honestly, Ellen doesn't speak for the whole community. We need to speak up for the young black people, especially young black men," he stated. "I'm a gay Black man, I don't know what it's like to be a white lesbian." From there, he then drew the conclusion of her being ignorant towards the struggles of gay Black men and encourages her to be receptive of their calls for change.
George M. Johnson, along with many other social media users, also agrees that Ellen may have overstepped.