Comedienne and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres has faced a backlash from leftists for defending fellow comedian Kevin Hart, weeks after he stepped down from the role of hosting the Oscars following an outcry over his past homophobic jokes.
In clips of Hart’s appearance on Ellen released Thursday night, DeGeneres announced she had called up the Academy to vouch for Hart’s good character.
“I called them, I said, ‘Kevin’s on, I have no idea if he wants to come back and host, but what are your thoughts?'” she revealed. “And they were like, ‘Oh my God, we want him to host! We feel like that maybe he misunderstood or it was handled wrong. Maybe we said the wrong thing but we want him to host. Whatever we can do we would be thrilled. And he should host the Oscars.'”
The controversy began last month after progressive activists complained about anti-gay tweets he posted between 2009 to 2011, and he has since apologized for.
“As a gay person. I am sensitive to all of that. You’ve already expressed that it’s not being educated on the subject, not realizing how dangerous those words are, not realizing how many kids are killed for being gay or beaten up every day,” DeGeneres explained. “You have grown, you have apologized, you are apologizing again right now. You’ve done it. Don’t let those people win — host the Oscars.”
However, DeGeneres’s remarks did not go down well with some left-wing activists, who criticized her for supposedly letting Hart’s homophobia off the hook.
According to Variety, Hart later admitted that he is considering taking back the role after receiving her blessing.
“Leaving here, I promise you I’m evaluating this conversation,” he reportedly told DeGeneres. “This is a conversation I needed to have. I’m glad I had it here. I’m glad it’s as authentic and real as I could’ve hoped it would be.”
Last week, an analysis measuring Hart’s ongoing “consumer approval” showed that his favorability remains largely intact despite the incident, with the survey measuring overall “likability, relatability, and trustworthiness among U.S. consumers.”
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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