NBC News apologized to actor Kevin Hart Tuesday night after a story about world-record sprinter Usain Bolt testing positive for the coronavirus featured a photo of the comedian on some social media platforms.
“Very sorry about that @KevinHart4real – bad technical glitch in how photos show up on Facebook,” tweeted the NBC News public relations account after Hart called the mistake “disrespectful on so many levels.”
In a correction on the article about Bolt’s diagnosis itself, the news outlet expanded: “A previous version of this article included an incorrect photo on some platforms due to a technical problem. The photo depicted actor Kevin Hart. It has been replaced with a photo of Usain Bolt.”
Hart wrote on social media about the mix-up of the two Black stars, captioning an Instagram post, “No comment” next to an emoji of a man with his face in his hands.
“I must of [sic] gotten really fast & tall overnight,” he quipped before challenging his followers to race him, given Bolt is the fastest man in the world. “I am also no longer doing comedy due to my Olympic training schedule.”
“P.S this is Disrespectful on so many levels,” he added. “All you can do is laugh. Maybe the Covid 19 shrunk his legs & torso.”
Check out Hart’s Instagram post below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEUgT-1FD3q/