Kevin Hart defends decision to stand up for Ellen DeGeneres: ‘I know how lonely and dark it gets’
Comedian came under fire himself for homophobic tweets that resurfaced in 2018
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Kevin Hart has explained his decision to publicly voice his support for Ellen DeGeneres.
The TV host has made headlines in recent weeks after claims by numerous staff at The Ellen DeGeneres Show that racism, bullying and sexual harassment were rife behind the scenes.
Comedian Hart defended his friend DeGeneres earlier this month, calling her “one of the dopest people on the f***ing planet”. He also criticised the internet for becoming “a crazy world of negativity”, adding: “We are falling in love with people’s downfall. It’s honestly sad... When did we get here?”
Elaborating on why he chose to stand up for DeGeneres, Hart told Deadline in a new interview: “I don’t lose sight of the definition of friendship... There’s a lot of relationships that are fake, and there’s some that are real. In my case, the ones that are real are the ones that I’m always going to be adamant about speaking on behalf of.”
He said he did not want to “take away from” the accusations against his friend, but added: “In times like this, I know also how dark it gets. I know how lonely it gets, because I know that these are times when people just turn their back on you.
“So for the ones that you love, that are close to your heart, you just want them to have some support, when it seems that there is none out there, and that’s just who I am as a person.”
In December 2018, Hart was forced to step down as Oscars host after homophobic tweets from his past were resurfaced and he initially refused to apologise.
He eventually did say sorry to the LGBTQ community for his “insensitive words” and said he did not want to “be a distraction”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments