Hart’s initial response - addressing the uproar in a grainy black and white Instagram video while still in bed - was so jarring even TMZ, a site known for salacious Hollywood gossip, seemed appalled.
The apology came only after the comedian twice insisted he would not apologize for the tweets because he had already “moved on.” “I always advise, apologize once and well.”Īfter dozens of Hart’s old homophobic tweets surfaced on Thursday, he announced he would no longer host the 2019 Academy Awards - one of his lifelong dreams. “One good sincere apology upfront probably would have made this go away,” Bragman said. Howard Bragman, a longtime Hollywood crisis manager and chairman and founder of La Brea Media told TheWrap Hart’s apology was a case of “too little, too late.”Īlso Read: Kevin Hart Has Deleted Old Anti-Gay Tweets Since Landing Oscar Hosting Gig “His refusal to do the right thing ended up costing him a lot more than it needed to,” Evan Nierman, founder of crisis PR firm Red Banyan, told TheWrap. Ask three crisis managers what they think of any given scandal, and you’re likely to get five different opinions.īut when it comes to Kevin Hart’s handling of his resurfaced anti-gay tweets, top Hollywood publicists are in a rare agreement: the comedian couldn’t have botched his apology more if he wanted to.