.LosAngeles LST20 CHE-HART-OSCARS Michael Che defends Kevin Hart on ‘SNL’

Los Angeles, Dec 10 (PTI) Comic Michael Che has defended Kevin Hart on "Saturday Night Live" in the wake of his stepping down as Oscars 2019 host following a controversy over his old homophobic tweets

Los Angeles, Dec 10 (PTI) Comic Michael Che has defended Kevin Hart on “Saturday Night Live” in the wake of his stepping down as Oscars 2019 host following a controversy over his old homophobic tweets.

Hart said he was giving up the job as he did not want to become a “distraction” at the ceremony. He also apologised to the LGBTQ community for his past “insensitive words”.

Che addressed the comic’s “short” time handling the post on the latest installment of the NBC show during its Weekend Update segment.

The co-host brought up Mel Gibson in a reference to the controversial racist statements the actor-director made a few years ago, saying “Didn’t the Academy nominate Mel Gibson for an award just last year?” he asked.

“Also, if Kevin Hart isn’t clean enough to host the Oscars, then no black comic is. The only black comic I know that’s cleaner than Kevin Hart is booked for the next three to 10 years,” he said as a picture of Bill Cosby was shown.

Che’s defence of Hart comes after fellow comic Nick Cannon named female comedians who had used gay slurs on social media in the past.

This is published unedited from the PTI feed.