Kevin Hart‘s world tour schedule has suffered a setback.
The comedian’s scheduled appearance in Egypt has been canceled following his alleged statements regarding ancient Egyptian kings. Hart’s reference to the royalty as Black sparked an angry outcry from the country’s natives accusing the actor of supporting Afrocentrism. The movement focuses on promoting African-Americans’ role in history and the creation of western civilization.
Kevin Hart’s Plans To Perform In Cairo, Egypt Gets Booted
The announcement for the cancellation of Hart’s Egyptian show was made by the event management — R Productions, the company behind the comedian’s tour, citing “local logistical issues” for the occurrence. In their words:
“It is with a heavy heart that we share with you, due to local logistical issues, the cancellation of our Kevin Hart event.”
The event management company added that it was working with the Ticketsmarche team to refund previous attendees “in the shortest possible time.” In case you missed it, Middle East Eye reported that the “Ride Along” actor sparked an uproar of criticism for taking an “Afrocentric” stance when he reportedly stated:
“We must teach our children the true history of Black Africans when they were kings in Egypt and not just the era of slavery that is cemented by education in America. Do you remember the time when we were kings?”
Despite what the Afrocentric movement practices, Hart’s critics claimed he was distorting history and ripping the Arabs off their claim to the country’s past. A hashtag asking the involved parties to either cancel the 43-year-old’s show or boycott him subsequently became a viral topic on social media in Egypt last December.
The “Think Like a Man” star seemed unbothered by the controversy, taking to Instagram to post a series of pictures from a recent show. While the first few images showed Hart in front of a pleased crowd, the last two snaps featured him on a street side and in front of a plane. Beneath the photos, he wrote:
“The middle eastern portion of my Reality Check tour was UNBELIEVABLE…. You guys welcomed me with open arms….I saw and felt so much love from all of you!!!!! I have developed amazing relationships over here and I couldn’t be happier…Major thank you to all of my friends & partners for helping me achieve the goal at hand… it’s to simply bring us all closer together by making the 🌎 laugh. Laughter can and will bring us all together.”
The post has received over 120k likes, with one attendee commenting, “I had so much fun today thanks to you I haven’t laughed like this since forever.” A second person claimed, “Best show ever in Riyadh history [.] thank you for visiting us and we are glad you enjoyed your stay.” Several others, who attended the event, also shared their pleasure at seeing the stand-up artist in his element.
The Comedian Mourns The Death Of His Beloved Father
The Blast noted that the Teen Choice Awards nominee experienced a tough time following the death of his father, Henry Whitherspoon. The “Jumanji” star had shared the news of the patriarch’s passing on Instagram with several pictures highlighting Henry’s time with Kevin and other family members.
“RIP to one of the realest & rawest to ever do it…. Love you dad. Gone but never forgotten,” the “Real Husbands of Hollywood” alum wrote in the caption. “The Secret Life of Pets” voice actor asked Henry to give his wife, Nancy, “a hug for me” because they did “good” as parents.
He finished by appreciating his father for everything, adding, “I’m a better father because of you. We will all make you proud.” Hart’s off-screen best friend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, led other celebrities to drop condolence messages, commenting, “Luv u I’m here.”
Rapper T Pain chimed in, “I’m glad he got to see you on top of the world bro. Blessings my dude,” and actor Martin Lawrence added, “My deepest condolences and prayers to you and your family for your loss. Much love brotha.”
Comedian Chelsea Handler wrote that Henry would not have passed away “before he knew you were good,” while actor Michael Blackson hoped the older Hart rested well. The post has also garnered over 1.5 million likes since Hart uploaded it last October.
