c/cancel-culture-court

24

pat_roberts55•17h ago

Unpopular opinion: Kevin Hart's apology tour felt fake to me

I watched that whole thing go down in summer 2018 when he stepped down from hosting the Oscars. He said sorry like three times on Twitter and in interviews but it all felt rehearsed, like he just wanted his paycheck back. Meanwhile, someone like Michael B. Jordan actually took time off and worked with a diversity coach for 6 months after that rum ad. Has anyone else noticed that bigger stars just hire PR teams instead of actually changing their ways?

8

rodriguez.mia•17h ago

Rant: That influencer who lied about her follower count hit 1 million and I feel sick

I followed this lifestyle creator for 2 years who always seemed a bit off. Then last week she posted a screenshot of her hitting 1 million followers and bragged about her "authentic growth." But I used a free audit tool and found 40% of her followers are bots from those $5 packages. She apologized in a video saying she "didn't know" but kept the badge. How do you know when a public figure's apology about faking numbers is actually real?

25

fisher.thomas•1d ago

Changed my mind about forgiving that influencer who faked a charity run

I was ready to write off that fitness influencer who lied about running a marathon for charity last year. Couldn't stand the fake tears in the apology video. But then I saw the actual number on the charity's website last week. They raised $47,000 for kids' sports equipment in Detroit. Turns out the race was fake but the donation was totally real. That amount stuck with me because it's enough to outfit three elementary school teams. She messed up big time but the money still helped real kids. Does a good outcome cancel out a bad lie or does it just make things more complicated?

16

patricia32•1d ago

That actress who said she 'didn't know' about the director's behavior - is her apology real or just a play to save her next movie deal?

She posted a 3 minute video on Instagram last Tuesday saying she was 'deeply sorry' and 'taking accountability' but then her publicist leaked that she's already signed on for two more films with the same studio, so is she actually sorry or just trying to keep her career afloat while the director takes the fall?

8

kimw57•1d ago

Just realized that apology from that actress last week was pure damage control

You know the one who got caught saying all those nasty things about her co-star in 2019? She posted that 12 minute video crying about how she's 'grown' and 'learned' since then... but I actually worked with her on a commercial shoot in Atlanta back in 2021 and she was exactly the same. Has anyone else noticed how these apologies always come right when they have a new movie coming out?

9

henryt18•3d ago

Dropped $75 on a PR coach and it backfired hard

I paid this media trainer $75 to help me write an apology for something dumb I posted 5 years ago. She told me to say 'I take full responsibility' three times in different ways and add a sob story about my childhood. I followed her advice and the internet tore me apart. People said it sounded fake and manipulative, which I honestly get now looking back. That $75 would have been better spent on a therapist who could tell me if I even needed to apologize. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from these apology consultants?

15

phoenix_grant•5d ago

Still not buying that Logan Paul apology from 2018

I watched his whole 8 minute video again last week and it still feels like damage control to me. He cried at the right moments but never actually said why making a joke about a dead body was funny in the first place. Has anyone changed their mind on this after seeing his later vlogs?

5

olivia_white93•5d ago

That Kevin Hart interview about his old tweets really bothered me

I was watching his sit-down with a podcaster last week where he explained those homophobic jokes from 2010. He kept saying he was just doing edgy comedy and everyone laughed back then. How many times does a celebrity get to say sorry before we actually believe they mean it and not just protecting their wallet?

15

barbara_jenkins66•5d ago

That 2023 apology from the actor who made those awful jokes fell apart after I heard the unedited audio clip last night.

I found the raw recording on a podcast archive and his tone switched from sad to smug in three seconds, so has anyone else fact-checked these edited apologies with the full source?

26

colethomas•5d ago

Changed my mind about Kevin Hart's apology after rewatching that 2018 set

I used to think his whole 'I'm not apologizing anymore' stance was just pride getting in the way. But when I watched the full special again last week, I noticed how he directly addressed a lot of the jokes people complained about. Not just saying sorry, but actually explaining where his head was at. The part where he said 'I can't grow if you don't let me fail' hit different this time. Has anyone else gone back and re-evaluated an apology they thought was fake?

21

wilson.olivia•5d ago

Finally realized I was apologizing wrong for years after a friend called me out

I used to give these long, detailed apologies trying to explain why I did something dumb. My friend Jen from Ohio straight up told me it sounded like I was making excuses instead of saying sorry. She said a real apology is just three sentences max, no 'but' or 'because' allowed. Turns out she was right, so how do you guys handle a public figure giving a rambling apology on Twitter?

13

lily_cooper•22d ago

Celebrity chef's apology after 8 years of hiding a plagiarism issue feels hollow to me

I followed this food blogger for years until someone dug up old posts where they copied recipes word for word from a 1970s cookbook. They finally admitted it after getting caught by a fan who posted side by side screenshots. But it took them over EIGHT years to say sorry, and they only did it because their new cookbook deal was about to fall through. Their apology video felt like a business move more than actual regret. Does anyone else think the timeline of an apology matters more than the words they say? How long is too long before you just stop believing them?

0

scott.olivia•22d ago

Got suspicious after reading an old tweet from a celeb who 'changed'

I was scrolling through a musician's apology video comments last night and saw someone had screen-shotted a tweet from 3 years ago. The tweet was basically the same kind of dismissive attitude they were apologizing for now. It made me wonder how many of these apologies are just copied from the same PR template. I feel like people get caught, say sorry, then go right back to their old ways once the heat dies down. There's no real accountability or change happening if they don't address the specific actions. Do you guys cross-check old posts when a public figure apologizes, or do you take their word for it?

5

fiona_kim97•22d ago

Pro tip: Compare a celeb's scripted apology vs their raw interview response

I was scrolling through old clips of that actor who got caught in the 2018 blackface photo scandal. His official apology video was all polished, said the right buzzwords, looked like his PR team wrote every word. Then I found a podcast interview he did 6 months later where someone brought it up off script. He stumbled, admitted he was just following what his manager told him to say, and actually seemed confused about why people were so mad. The difference was night and day. One felt like a robot reading lines, the other felt like a real person trying to figure out how to learn from a stupid mistake. Which do you weigh more for forgiveness, the perfect statement or the messy real talk after the cameras turn off?

16

susan81•23d ago

Debated forgiving that actor who made the weird joke in 2018 after his 4 minute apology video

I picked giving him another chance since he donated $5,000 to a local youth program, but now I'm wondering if that was too easy on him - has anyone else struggled with separating the apology from the charity move?

4

singh.harper•24d ago

Watched a comedian's apology video 3 times and still can't tell if he's sorry

I was at a comedy club in Austin last Saturday and saw this guy bomb so hard he started arguing with the crowd. Now he posted a 12 minute apology on YouTube but he keeps smirking at weird moments. Do you think a smirk means it's fake or is that just his face?

21

quinn161•25d ago

Showerthought: That apology from the guy who ran the local hardware store felt more real than any celebrity mea culpa I've ever seen

I walked into Ace Hardware on Broad Street last Thursday to grab a pipe wrench, and the owner, Dave, had a handwritten sign taped to the register. It said he was sorry for the rude comment he made to a customer about their DIY project back in February, and he was donating $200 to the local trade school. He even remembered my name and asked if I wanted to talk about it over coffee. Has anyone else had a public figure in their own town actually own up to something small but meaningful like that?

16

davis.olivia•25d ago

Can we talk about how my favorite diner changed after the owner apologized for old tweets?

I went back to Frank's Diner on Maple Street last weekend, the one I've been going to since 2012. The owner made some dumb comments online back in 2018 and then posted a long apology video. It's been 6 years and the place is still half empty on a Saturday morning. Does an apology that old really still count, or do people just move on and never come back?

4

marybutler•26d ago

Said a racist joke at a party in 2019 and it cost me a job offer 3 years later

I told a dumb joke about Asian accents at a Halloween party back in 2019. Thought it was harmless at the time. Fast forward to 2022, I got a great offer from a tech company in Seattle, $120k salary. Then someone from that party shared a screenshot of a group chat where I doubled down on the joke. HR called and pulled the offer within 48 hours. I spent 6 months doing anti-bias training and volunteering with a local immigrant support group. My apology on LinkedIn got ratioed hard but I meant it. Has anyone else had a mistake from years ago come back at the worst possible moment?

13

fisher.thomas•28d ago

My microwave apology video went viral in our breakroom

I accidentally set the office microwave for 15 minutes instead of 90 seconds and burnt popcorn so bad it set off the fire alarm. I posted a sincere apology on Slack with a photo of my mistake, and now three different coworkers have framed printouts of it on their desks. Has anyone else had a small screwup turn into a permanent public shaming?

15

paul_ramirez•28d ago

Tried giving Kevin Hart the benefit of the doubt after his Oscars apology but something kept bugging me

I saw his whole apology video about hosting the Oscars and him stepping down, and it took me about 45 minutes of rewatching clips to figure out why it felt off to me. The thing that finally clicked was how he kept saying "I understand" but never once said what exactly he understood or what he'd do different next time. So what do you all look for in an apology that tells you it's genuine versus just damage control?

11

zara_sanchez•28d ago

Sat through that entire Shane Dawson apology video from 2020 and I'm still not sure if he meant it.

I watched all 18 minutes twice and counted seven times he looked down at his notes - do you think that means it was rehearsed or he was just nervous?

14

ward.anna•29d ago

My neighbor's apology video had 2 million views and I still can't tell if he meant it

After he let his dog run through my garden last June, he posted a 4 minute tearful apology on YouTube but then I saw him at the mailbox and he just waved like nothing happened... do you count a public apology as real if they never bring it up to your face?

12

nathankim•1mo ago

Visited a celebrity apology press conference and spotted something weird

I went to a press conference last Thursday for a famous actor who messed up big time with some old tweets. He was reading this apology from a paper that looked super worn out, like he had been practicing it for months. The weird part was when he paused and looked at his manager for approval before saying he was sorry to his fans. I counted 5 times he said the word "learning" without actually admitting what he did wrong. Someone in the back yelled asking if the apology was written by a PR team and the actor just froze for 10 seconds. The whole thing felt like a scripted TV show rather than a real moment of regret. Has anyone else gone to one of these things and seen the same fake energy?

8

harperp24•1mo ago

Warning: A fan's direct message made me rethink my whole take on that apology

I was all set to trash a comedian's apology last month for some old tweets. But a fan replied to my post and said 'you've never had to unlearn 15 years of bad jokes in public.' That stopped me cold. I started listening to the actual apology again instead of just yelling at it. Has anyone else had a single comment flip your whole view on whether someone deserves grace?