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Kevin Hart stumbled so the comedians after him wouldn’t have to fall. Jussie Smollett, an openly, gay Black man was recently physically attacked for the intersection of both these identities.
And somehow, comedian Jess Hilarious, in this cultural climate, made the decision to use the word f*ggot.
It really makes no sense, but I’ll try to explain anyway.
Taylor Gray threw a slight insult at comedian and Instagram influencer Jess Hilarious, saying:
“Imagine having to comment on TheShadeRoom 24/7 to keep the lights on.”
And this was Jess’s response.
Whew Chile.
On his part, Gray said he shared that comment because of mean-spirited things Jess directs at other people, particularly making fun of Demi Lovato’s addiction.
After the backlash started pouring in, Jess Hilarious issued this apology in the form of a video.
I’m not the most nit-picky person when it comes to apologies. But in this particular one, Jess spent way to much time attempting to rationalize her actions by describing what the man said to take her to this place of hatred. And it’s just not enough.
One, this man’s post was extremely mild and it baffles me that a homophobic slur was the first thing that came to her mind when this young man mentioned that she comments on The Shade Room, which is a true statement. The idea that she has to do so for money is not and certainly meant to be taken as an insult. But even if he’d repeatedly stalked and harassed her, she would have been better off coming up with something witty to shut him down or blocking him entirely than using a word that would alienate an entire community and their allies.
This action, in the year of our Lord 2019, is just not smart.
We, as a community and country, spent months talking about Kevin Hart’s homophobic jokes. We just witnessed the horrific incident actor Jussie Smollett endured for being Black and gay. And since Jess be all up in The Shade Room, I know she saw and heard about both of these stories. But she still didn’t choose to learn from them. It doesn’t make any sense as someone who just got off IG and was starting to make moves in the traditional, mainstream entertainment industry, working with Fox on the “Rel” show. And what’s truly tragic about this whole situation is that if she had put effort into making her clapback funny, witty and insulting without taking it too far, we would be celebrating her cleverness.
But here we are.
Lastly, this idea of saying she’s not homophobic after she used a homophobic slur at what seems her first opportunity, is ridiculous. If a Black person offended a White man and his immediate rebuttal was n*gger, we know he’s racist. And the same is true here. The use of someone’s sexuality as an insult is homophobic, sis.
At the end of the day, someone can only draw out what’s already there. And in this instance, it didn’t take much.
Smh.
See what people had to say about the incident and Jess’ apology on the following pages.
