Kevin Hart Slammed After Sending Jussie Smollett Well Wishes

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With the horrifying news that Jussie Smollett was the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime, Black politicians and celebs such as Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Sen. Kamala Harris, Michael B. Jordan and Viola Davis all took to Twitter to express their dismay and send the “Empire” actor well-wishes. But when Kevin Hart did the same, the response wasn’t as well-received. See on Tuesday night, the comedian posted on social media that he was sending “prayers” to Jussie after the attack and how he is shocked at how “we are going backwards.” “Sending prayers your way @jussiesmollett ….This is unbelievably sad. Why are we going backwards….this is disgusting. We as people have to do better. WTF is going on the world???? Why are we falling in love with hate???? God damn it people….Choose love…I repeat…Choose love. I will forever choose love and I will continue to teach my kids how to do the same. Stand strong brother.”

Well, given his past of making anti-gay jokes, saying he would beat his son if he were gay and his non-apology tour calling his critics “haters,” there were plenty of folks that found these thoughts and prayers to be quite ironic…and let him know as much. After seeing his mentions in utter disarray, Kevin tried to stress that he is merely here to “spread love” and that he doesn’t “condone” hate.

But as we know the Internet never forgets and many Black folks used this moment as an opportunity to not blame Kevin for Jussie’s attack, but to let him know that Trump’s racism isn’t the only thing that can foster an environment of hate and violence. Homophobic “jokes,” especially about Black gay men, can and definitely do too.