Kevin Hart Criticizes Impulse to 'Destroy' Controversial Comedians, Says He's Become More 'Sensitive to the Times'

Kevin Hart talked about the sensitive nature of comedy during an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast on Tuesday. The comedian discussed the fallout of his Oscars controversy, which stemmed from jokes Hart made about the LGBTQ community more than 10 years ago, and said the moment was a "wake-up call of understanding the times."

While Hart apologized for the comments and stepped down from his position as 2019 Oscar host earlier this year, he said he's since made the choice to be "sensitive to the times," and more mindful of the way some jokes affect people from different communities instead of persisting with offensive humor, like some of his comedic comrades.

Fellow comedian Louis C.K. refused to shy away from controversial jokes in the aftermath of multiple sexual misconduct accusations against him. When he returned to the stage in January, the actor drew laughs for jokes about his masturbation preferences, according to the Daily Beast, despite being at the epicenter of a sexual harassment scandal after he exposed himself to women.

Regardless of Hart's personal choice to discontinue offensive material in his standup, the actor suggested that audiences could simply choose not to listen, watch or support artists they don't agree with, instead of bashing comedians and attempting to tear down their careers.

"I think it's easier to just say, 'I'm not a fan. That comedy isn't for me,'" he said. "'You know what, I don't like the taste of this particular comedian, so I'm not going to support or watch that comedian. I'm going to find another comedian that's more to my liking. I'm going to go and just turn my head.' I want us to get back to understand that you just don't have to support it. That's it."

He added: "I don't understand why there's a push to destroy when you just don't have to support or like."

Hart also touched on why he refrained from engaging in conversations surrounding his Oscars controversy earlier this year, explaining that he didn't want to give in to the negativity after already having apologized multiple times.

"It never stopped and at that point, I just made a decision. I'm like, 'Guys, I'm making a decision to not talk about it anymore.' That doesn't mean that I'm being disrespectful to anybody. That doesn't mean that I'm shutting down anything. It means that, for me, I'm going to stop talking about it, because at this point I don't know what to do," he said. "At this point, I thought the apology is what you wanted me to do. I made sure that you understand that I'm not a hateful person, I don't condone hate. I did that. I stepped down [from the Oscars] so I don't take attention off of that night and those people that are there to be celebrated. I don't wanna draw attention to myself and what's around me. I stepped down. Everything I did was for the better of good."