For the first time in 30 years, it looks like the Oscars will not have a host. With an aspiring dictator in the White House, a completely dysfunctional government, and a shutdown endangering the livelihood of millions of people across the country (including furloughed workers, travelers, and those in the tourist industry in the D.C. area and other parts of the country with closed national parks and landmarks, etc.), the Oscars no doubt seem trivial and unimportant.
But there are always valuable lessons to be learned from pop culture. And the circumstances surrounding this particular event, and the resulting controversy, are yet another case study in how race, class, homophobia, and other issues of identity are an inescapable part of American life.
Comedian Kevin Hart was originally selected for the job of host. But in early December, shortly after the announcement was made, he decided to step down— amidst a backlash about past comments he’d made that were largely considered homophobic. In today’s society, holding celebrities, politicians, and other famous people accountable for things they’ve said in the past is a phenomenon that is supported by, and perhaps enabled by, social media. So it comes as no surprise that Hart’s accountability moment came because of tweets and other comments he’s made in which he’s repeatedly used slurs and said other harmful things that denigrated members of the LGBTQ community.
As BuzzFeed’s Adam Vary discovered, Hart had a pattern of using this language quite a bit until he really hit it big in film back in 2011. Then he stopped.
When called to task for his behavior, Hart did not initially apologize. Instead, he posted a video on Instagram in which he said that he had “grown, evolved, and become more mature.” He made it clear that he felt no need to explain himself. But just a few hours later, he tweeted this:
I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.
In a subsequent tweet, he said that he wished not to be divisive but instead to bring people together. But is his apology enough? Well, that depends on who you ask. Comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres says yes. She hosted Hart on her show earlier this month and defended him, saying that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should reinstate him as host. In the interview, Ellen says that, as a gay person, she understands that Hart previously didn’t understand how harmful his past comments were, and encouraged him to host the Oscars so as not to let the “haters” win.
But many people, particularly queer black men, feel that forgiveness wasn’t Ellen’s to give. After all, many of Hart’s comments were directed directly at black queer men. As Michael Arceneaux writes, Ellen “has a right to her opinion, but not to dismiss rightful criticism (notably from other people who are part of the wider LGBTQ community)—as many have since informed her.” This point is also exacerbated by the fact that Ellen is a white woman of considerable financial means. To that end, applying an intersectional framework suggests that Ellen’s power would be best leveraged in advocating for the voices of queer black men who were harmed by Hart’s comments, and not for Hart himself.
Arceneaux also doesn’t feel that this controversy should still be a thing. He writes that a sincere apology will do, but that Hart seems unable to offer one, and that’s why the issue continues to make headlines. Hart has been making the media rounds lately because he has a new film coming out. In each interview, he has been offered a chance to clarify his comments and apologize. Yet he continues to double down, saying things such as that he’s “over it” and that he “wouldn’t change anything” or do anything differently.
All people have wanted from Kevin Hart was a sincere apology, nothing more or less. To Colbert’s point, the public does not feel like they have gotten one, hence this ongoing and utterly exhausting spectacle. There is a level of humility required when apologizing. Kevin Hart has yet to display any, despite having been asked about this subject for years.
So for now, the Oscars are proceeding without a host, and the issue continues to follow Kevin Hart—much to the annoyance of Hart and everyone else who is paying attention. In our quick-moving, short-attention-span culture, this is likely to fade into the background soon. However, it presents an opportunity for reflection and deeper conversation about how our culture addresses such matters.
By 2019, we should know that gay jokes aren’t funny—and particularly when they are told by folks outside of that group. Ditto for race jokes, jokes about women, the disabled, immigrants, or any other marginalized group. There may be times when members of those groups tell jokes and poke fun at themselves, but this is largely an “in-group” privilege not meant for those who don’t have those lived experiences. Because those in the dominant group (in this case, straight people) have power and privilege over those in the LGBTQ community, it is neither funny nor appropriate for straight people to say things that are hateful or harmful about LGBTQ folks, especially when those same people can be fired, refused service, and even killed for being who they are.
At the same time, this is not about constantly policing people’s past comments and constantly calling folks out, either. We’ve likely all said things that were insensitive, bigoted, and inappropriate at one point or another. Hopefully, we’ve evolved and matured, as Hart claims to have done, and realized the harm these kinds of comments can cause. Most of us are lucky enough not to be in the public eye, where these kinds of past comments can come back to bite us years later, threatening our career and livelihood. Still, what’s the harm in sincerely owning up to our mistakes and engaging in a thoughtful conversation about what we’ve learned and how we’ve evolved from our past views?
Instead, when these things happen, it seems that our culture supports and fosters the type of behavior we are witnessing from Hart. A lukewarm apology, perhaps some tears, accompanied by lots of posturing about how these comments aren’t a true reflection of who one is, followed by a reframing of the person being held accountable as the true victim. We have countless examples of this—from videos of racist white people yelling at or mistreating people of color in public, to the men being held accountable because of the #MeToo movement, to old videos and tweets of comedians using racial and homophobic slurs. Technology has enabled us to make these moments go viral and call people out for the ways they perpetuate oppression and inequality. But are we actually learning anything from it?
It’s disheartening to watch an important conversation about homophobia and the combination of toxic masculinity and race (for the record, I believe this is why Hart, as a straight black man, can’t bring himself to sincerely apologize), and their place in our culture be redirected so as to frame Hart in the center of the conversation—rather than the targets of his comments. In this way, we continue to perpetuate a culture that privileges the perspectives, feelings, experiences, and intentions of people of power over the marginalized. Kevin Hart is made out to be the victim here because he’s (rightly) being held accountable for his actions. Even though no one forced Hart to step down from hosting the Oscars. Even though he’s only been asked to apologize and has been given chance after chance to do it. Even though this could be a good learning moment for him and the rest of the country. Accountability is not easy, and sometimes it hurts. And, apparently, in today’s society, people will do whatever it takes to avoid the hurt of accountability, because a hurt ego means more to them than the lives of the people they hurt.
This year’s Oscars will come and go. And five years from now (hell, likely five months from now), no one will quite remember why they didn’t have a host. But it is likely that five years from now we’ll still be using technology to call out folks and hold them accountable for their actions. And those people will still be actively avoiding accountability, instead of doing the work it takes to dismantle systems of marginalization and oppression and to just be decent, kind human beings.
The Oscars air on Sunday, Feb. 24 on ABC.