“After he claimed he was pressured by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to apologize for past homophobic comments, the comedian announced on Thursday night his decision to step away from hosting this year’s ceremony.” LA Times: Kevin Hart steps down as 2019 Oscars host after backlash over past homophobic comments.

+ GLAAD: Kevin Hart “Shouldn’t Have Stepped Down; He Should Have Stepped Up.”

+ In general, I worry about the trend of outrage and firings related to past tweets or old comedy routines. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that there are more than enough really bad people on which we can heap our outrage. That said, Michael Schulman makes some excellent points about why Kevin Hart’s homophobia was particularly troubling: “There’s a specific brand of homophobia—fear of gayness in your own children—that is so hurtful, because its implication is that love is contingent upon fear.”