MICHAEL CHE DEFENDS KEVIN HART ON

Los Angeles: 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.