In a teaser clip from a new episode of HBO’s “The Shop,” Lil Nas X chops it up with a cast of characters, including Kevin Hart, about why it was important for him to come out on Twitter during Pride month.
“It’s not that, like, it’s like being forced,” the rapper said, per Complex. “It’s just knowing [that] growing up, I’m growing up to hate this shit.”
Hart then asks “what” Nas was taught to hate as a child, to which the 20-year-old replied: “Homosexuality, gay people,” he said. Adding, “Come on, now. If you really from the hood, you know. For me, the cool dude with the song on the top of everything to say this any other time, I’m doing this for attention in my eyes. But if you’re doing this when you’re at the top, you know it’s for real.”
Watch the segment via the Twitter embeds below.
Social media users have slammed the multi-person inquiry for coming off as bullies — and many are coming for Hart, calling him “homophobic” for how he engaged with the young artist.
Twitter user Phillip Henry wrote: “Kevin Hart acting like he doesn’t know why Lil Nas X would be scared to come out is like someone who stole the thing you lost helping you look for it.”
One commenter replied to Henry’s post with: “Who set Lil Nas X up? Why they gon put him in a room with a homophobe and have to explain himself and his sexuality?!? I wanna fight.”
But user @hisnamelou came to Hart’s defense, noting that “Kevin was trying to get him to say what it was. So that people could understand WHY ! Maybe the average person doesn’t know WHY! Don’t spin this “think piece” into a negative.”
User Rafiyq Cromwell also wrote: “So everybody calling Kev homophobic off a clip of this episode but nobody had the time to actually watch? Everybody trying to create a narrative outta this needs to slap the shit outta themselves. This is Kev telling him to live in his truth and don’t worry about explanations.”
He added, “For the people on Twitter with comprehension problems, He’s literally telling him there’s nothing wrong with an announcement but there’s no need to explain your stance on that announcement to people because people on Twitter forever feel entitled to someone’s explanation.”
Scroll up and watch the segment, do you think Hart was out-of-pocket with his questions?
