Conservative street artist Sabo is taking aim at the Oscars by posting fake ads that defend Kevin Hart, who lost the hosting job over past homophobic tweets.
The posters were placed throughout Hollywood, including in front of the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars are annually held. The fake ads have a picture of Hart and the ABC logo, as well as the tagline “The Oscars Have No Hart.”
Hart was named the host of the 91st Oscars on Dec. 4, but stepped down from the gig two days later after his years-old social media posts demeaning LGBT individuals resurfaced. A replacement for Hart has not yet been named.
In a statement sent to TheWrap, the Donald Trump-supporting artist said he was “disappointed” in Hart’s “put down” of the POTUS while hosting last year’s MTV Video Music Awards, but says he’s still a fan of the comedian.
“I like Kevin Hart. Hell, I love Kevin Hart, but I was very disappointed in him when he put down President Trump earlier in the year when he told President Trump to ‘Suck it.’ […]I guess he’s just another victim of the ‘Trump Curse,’” Sabo wrote.
“Still that didn’t change my opinion of him. Hart is a highly motivating, extremely positive force of a human being and to see him suffer what he did because of something he tweeted ten years ago is sad and wrong. One has to question if this whole PC movement in Hollywood is flying off the rails. I believe the best thing the Academy can do is bring him back on board.”
Several other Hollywood figures have been the subject of Sabo’s art, including Harvey Weinstein and Meryl Streep. They were the subject of a Sabo poster that featured a picture of them with the caption “She Knew,” referring to the accusations of sexual misconduct and assault made against Weinstein. Streep has said that she was not aware of Weinstein’s actions and “wasn’t deliberately silent.”