Kevin Hart will be at the Dolby Theatre today, just not hosting the Oscars.
Days before the 91st Academy Awards, Los Angeles-based street artist Plastic Jesus erected a gold statue of Hart outside the venue where the Oscars are held.
The statue shows the comedian decked out in a gold suit, and holding a rainbow flag representing gay pride. The base of the statue says “Hollow Apology,” referring to Hart’s December apology to the LGBTQ community after Twitter users resurfaced his years-old homophobic tweets.
Read More: Kevin Hart Steps Down as Oscars Host Amid Homophobic Tweet Backlash
Immediately after Hart announced he had landed the “opportunity of a lifetime” to host the Oscars, someone unearthed the tweets. The Night School star initially refused to apologize, but after facing intense backlash, he took to Twitter on Dec. 6 to say he was sorry.
“I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past,” he tweeted.
But that apology apparently wasn’t enough for Plastic Jesus. On Thursday, the artist shared two pictures of the statue in a since-deleted Instagram post, along with a message of support for the LGBTQ community.
“AND THE WINNER IS… This year’s Oscar statue ‘Hollow Apology’ featuring Kevin Hart,” Plastic Jesus wrote.
“Over the past decades most countries have made great inroads fighting homophobia and hate, however the current divisive rhetoric seems to have taken us back to the 1970’s,” he added. “So much of the Entertainment industry output comes from LGBTQ Individuals we should be celebrating it and not creating a hateful environment.”
By the way, Plastic Jesus is the same artist who built a tiny “border wall” around then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The artist’s 2016 wall installation was topped with razor wire and miniature U.S. flags.
The statue image is courtesy of (Instagram/@PlasticJesus)
