Kevin Hart, born 6 July 1979 and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. Hart’s career began in some of New England’s clubs where he competed and won many amateur comedy competitions. In 2001, Hart caught a break when Jude Apatow casted him for the TV series, Undeclared. Hart’s success as a stand-up comedian and his funny roles in Undeclared was almost unrivaled and he soon caught the attention of studio executives who starred him in various movies including Paper Soldiers, Soul Plane, Scary Movie 3, In the Mix, and Little Fockers.
Hart released his first stand-up album, I’m a Grown Little Man, in 2008 and released four more albums between 2010 and 2016. In 2015, Hart was named by Times Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world.
Kevin Hart’s dream of hosting the Grammy Awards would become a reality in 2019—but no sooner had he been announced as the 2019 Grammy Awards host than he had to step down. Kevin Hart, a comedian, and actor, faced heavy criticisms for some some of his earlier jokes which were centered on the fear of his son becoming gay—and how he would vehemently prevent such travesty.
After the Academy announced Hart as the host, Benjamin Lee, a Guardian editor, recalled some of Hart’s old tweets. ‘I wonder when Kevin Hart is gonna delete his old tweets.’ Lee said, attaching screenshots of some of Hart's now-deleted tweets. One tweet read, 'Yo If my son comes home & try’s 2 play with my daughters doll house I’m going to break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay.’ In other series of tweets—and Hart’s 2010 standup special, he referred to a person as a ‘gay billboard for AIDS’ and called a guy a ‘Fat fag.’
The LGBTQ community and the Academy asked Hart to issue a public apology for his 10-year old tweet but Hart insisted that his tweets and jokes were made over a decade ago and he had addressed them. In an Instagram post, he defended himself saying, ‘…and I’m not gonna let the craziness frustrate me… if you don’t believe that people change, grow, evolve as they grow older, [then] I don’t know what to tell you.’ In a follow-up Instagram post, Hart told critics, ‘If u want to search my history or past and anger yourselves with what u find that is fine with me. I’m almost 40 years old and I’m in love with the man I am becoming.’
Cancel Culture cannot hand down a certain name; however, we can safely assume that the Academy’s Trustee Officers and the Academy CEO—Deborah Dugan, were in charge of all major Grammy Award decision, including selecting—and firing a host. The Academy Trustee Officers include the National Chair—Harvey Mason, Vice Chair—Tammy Hurt, Secretary/Treasurer—Terry Hemmings, AND Chair Emeritus—Christine Albert.
Of course, no one sneezes in the Grammy without the people above knowing about it. While the Trustee Officers’ decisions may have swayed against Hart’s position as the Grammy’s host, Deborah Dugan certainly handed the sack letter to Kevin Hart.
Deborah Dugan is an American executive who has served as Chief Executive Officer for a number of top American organizations including Disney Publishing Worldwide Entertainment, Rights North America, and the Academy.
The unfortunate nature of Hart’s circumstances is the fact that his Tweets and jokes were ten years old; and ten years is a long time for a person to grow, change, and accept different communities as they are—regardless of race or sexual orientation. Hart’s old tweets were dug out almost immediately after the organizers announced him as their host for the Grammy Awards.
In Hart’s 2010 Comedy Special, Seriously Funny, he said he saw a boy 'grinding' his son and then 'knocked them both down.' In March 2015 (this time, Hart had become a very successful stand-up comedian and a public profile), Louis Virtel—a former Hit Fix reporter asked Hart about his 2010 anti-gay jokes, and Hart said, 'I said to myself, 'this is funny.' And at the end of the day, 'funny is funny.'' In July 2015, Hart, in an interview with Rolling Stones, admitted that he would not tell 'the joke today' and 'the times weren't as sensitive as they are now.'
Kevin eventually issued a heartfelt apology to the LGBTQ community in his Netflix Docuseries, Kevin Hart: Don’t Fuck This Up, saying, 'I missed an opportunity to say simply that I don't condone any type of violence in any way, shape, or form to anyone for being who they are. I f****d up… Instead, I said 'I addressed it.’ I said ‘I apologized.’ I said, ‘I talked about this already.’ I was just immature.’
Even though Hart had been fired by the Grammy, the issues surrounding his tweets and jokes ten years ago still lingered. While the Academy cancelled Hart, he had a massive comeback with his movie, The Upside. On January 19, he had a conversation about the movie with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America.
In the Upside, Hart played Dell, a struggling parolee who was hired to take care of Philip, a wealthy quadriplegic. Dell’s role was to help Philip with his day-to-day routine in his penthouse. Kevin’s amazing performance, his role depth, and his chemistry with Philip—played by Bryan Cranston, earned the movie critical success in the IMDb rating and commercial success. The Upside made $125.9 in the box office and earned 7 in its IMDb rating. Hollywood reporter, Jordan Minzter praised Kevin’s performance as ‘broad-minded’ and the pairing with Bryan Cranston as one which ‘paid off big time.’ The movie had more ‘laugh-out-loud moments than the original and some particular work from Hart.
The Academy may be a reputable organization; however, many recording artists, music labels, and the general public, have unreserved opinions on its irregularities in making decisions. An organization so determined to cancel a host moments after announcing the host—especially when the cancellation is done without a fair investigation, should make quick policy checks. Kevin who was in good spirits in Good Morning Africa told Michael that the cancellation was not a ‘discussion for today.’ The Upside was and the movie showed Kevin’s outstanding performance and his ability to, not just make people laugh, but also whirl other deep emotions.
The great news is that Kevin Hart isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With more than 8 projects lined up for the next three years, his fans are assured of nerve wracking, jaw dropping, incredibly funny scenes, and deeper personalities from the ace comedian. One of Kevin’s most anticipated works is the April 16 2021 Fatherhood which centers on Hart’s travails as he singlehandedly raised his daughter after the death of his wife. The Academy may have cancelled Kevin Hart as their host, but they cannot cancel him from life or from the amazing things he has to offer the world.
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