Kevin Hart has told critics of Dave Chappelle to simply not watch the comedian if they don’t find his material funny or entertaining.
Both comedians are regular Netflix fixtures, but it’s Chappelle who frequently draws controversy for making jokes about the transgender community. His latest special for the streamer, The Dreamer, opens with a 12-minute joke in which he once again takes aim at trans people.
In a new interview with The Independent, Hart discussed the current climate of stand-up comedy before offering a simple to solution to those who find Chappelle’s performances offensive.
“We’re just in a time now where the microscope is significantly pointed in the direction of the comic, and what the comic is saying,” Hart said. “But you have the option of just not watching someone you don’t find funny or entertaining. That’s something extremely simple that people are forgetting.”
“I don’t feel like everybody should love me,” he added. “I don’t feel like everybody should think I’m funny. It’s perfectly fine.”
Kevin Hart. CREDIT: Robin L Marshall/WireImage
Elsewhere in the interview, in the wake of Jo Koy’s widely criticised performance at the Golden Globes, Hart spoke about how awards show hosting has changed, and how he no longer considers it to be a good gig.
“Look, the climate of comedy attached to award shows has just changed drastically,” Hart said. “And as a talent, if you don’t have the relationships that are in that room, those rooms can be cold. I don’t consider [awards shows] to be good gigs at this point.”
“When you look at those that have had a high level of success — Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock or Steve Martin — you’re looking at industry comics,” he continued. “Of course they crush in the world of stand-up. But they’re also actively involved with a lot of the personnel in those rooms. So there are relationships. It’s one of those things where nobody wants to be talked about, nobody wants to be teased and because of that, everybody’s so uptight.”
Elsewhere, Hart recently revealed that he “almost died” in a terrifying plane accident, in which the exterior of the aircraft caught fire. The actor and comic shared the story while promoting his new Netflix film Lift on The Graham Norton Show.
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