This article originally appeared on Entertainment Weekly.
Comedy has always been a risky business, but Kevin Hart says the stakes are even greater in the era of social media.
In an excerpt from his Wednesday appearance on The View, Hart weighs in on the recent controversies sparked by Bill Maher uttering the N-word on the air and Kathy Griffin posing in a photo depicting a decapitated Donald Trump. According to Hart, comedians have to be especially careful because negative sentiments proliferate so quickly these days.
“Times are different now, and as a comedian, you have to understand and respect that,” he says. “If you put yourself in a position to be viewed in a negative way from the public, with social media being the way that it is, if it’s negative it’s going to spread. … I think you have to use better judgment.”
Regarding Maher’s remark and Griffin’s photo (both of which they apologized for), Hart says, “You’re just looking at comics being comics. We always take risks, but sometimes it can be distasteful.”
He adds, “Kathy Griffin, I get that it was a joke — it wasn’t received well, you apologized, you should step away from it. Whatever happens after that, it happens. Bill Maher, I don’t think Bill Maher is a racist, but you know the consequences of using the word, you know how many people view your show. It was stupid.”
Watch the clip above for more, and catch Hart’s full appearance Wednesday on The View.
