Kevin Hart has decided to forgo the opportunity of hosting the next edition of the Oscars following the criticism he earned from old homophobic tweets. Fellow comedian Tony Rock has since defended Hart, claiming that the jokes were a sign of acceptance for the gay community as opposed to a display of intolerance.
Rock equates Hart's dated tweets to how friends bond with each other over "yo mama" jokes.
"We live in such sensitive times now [...] Gay people, at some point, you're gonna have to accept being made fun of. That's what acceptance is. Case in point, I grew up in the hood. In the hood we call it snapping or ranking, some people call it the dozens [...] That's how you form a bond with someone... You form a strength that's like no other."
"To be embraced in society is to be able to have other members of society poke fun at you and to be able to make fun of the way you dress and the way you act and the things you say and your mannerisms. That's what acceptance is."
He claims that Hart's situation is a "sad testament" to society, considering what people comedians do for a living. From his perspective, it should be understood that the man's comedy would seep into his offstage persona, comedic intentions included.
