Kevin Hart is under fire once again for comments many people consider homophobic.
This time the comedian angered critics with his remarks about rapper Lil Nas X coming out as gay.
The encounter happened on HBO’s The Shop: Uninterrupted. In a clip from Tuesday’s episode — that’s since gone viral — the “Old Town Road” rapper was asked why he decided to publicly reveal his sexuality.
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Before Lil Nas X could explain, Hart interrupted by saying, “He said he was gay! So what?”
The rapper then said growing up he was taught to “hate” homosexuality.
“Hate what?” Hart asked the Georgia native, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill.
“C’mon now. If you really from the hood, you know,” Lil Nas X responded to the Ride Along star.
.@lilnasx speaks the truth about his choice to come out while at the top. More of The Shop on @HBO now! pic.twitter.com/wETNaPUU5t
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) September 4, 2019
The chart-topping rapper then explained that he chose to come out as he reached the top of the music game to show he had nothing to gain from it.
“For me, the ‘cool dude with the song’ — on top of everything — to say this any other time, I’m doing this for attention in my eyes. But if you’re doing this while you’re at the top, you know it’s for real, and it’s showing it doesn’t really matter, I guess,” he said.
The exchange sparked strong reaction on Twitter, where some users accused Hart of being homophobic and “gaslighting.”
Lil Nas X came out on the last day of Pride Month in June as his song climbed the charts. The track stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list for a record-breaking 19 weeks.
Hart stepped down as Oscars host last year after facing criticism for past anti-gay comments.
The actor and comedian is currently recovering from a weekend car accident in Southern California.
