Kevin Hart’s son’s first birthday bash was a fun-filled cowboy-and-Indian extravaganza, complete with Native American blankets, cowboy hats, and teepees as decorations.
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Kevin Hart finds himself addressing the backlash surrounding the theme of his son’s recent birthday bash. When pictures of Kenzo Kash’s cowboys-and-Indians party surfaced online, the 39-year-old comedian, known for his “Irresponsible” humor, and his wife Eniko faced criticism from fans who saw the theme as inappropriate cultural appropriation.
Eniko took to Instagram to share images of the celebration, featuring Native American blankets, cowboy hats, and teepees, describing the event as “nothing but amazing.” However, some followers were quick to point out how a “Cowboys and Indians” party on Thanksgiving could be seen as glorifying historical atrocities such as genocide, white supremacy, and slavery.
One Twitter user questioned whether Kevin Hart and Eniko were unwittingly promoting harmful teachings to their child by hosting such a theme. The comparison was made with a hypothetical scenario of throwing a master-slave themed birthday bash, to highlight the insensitivity of the cowboys-and-Indians motif.
After receiving criticism for their party theme, Eniko and Kevin Hart had a lot of negative comments on their Instagram. Many people found the theme offensive and voiced their opinions on social media.
A few days later, Hart decided to address the controversy on his SiriusXM show, Straight from The Hart. He defended their choice of theme, pointing out that it was inspired by western movies and not meant to cause harm. Hart also expressed his frustration with how quick people are to pass judgment and share their opinions, referring to the current state of the world.
Despite the backlash, Hart and Eniko stood by their decision and clarified their intentions behind the party theme. In the end, they hoped that people would understand that there was no ill will behind their choice and that it was all in good fun.
“I believe that the idea of battles between cowboys and Indians is largely influenced by what we’ve seen in movies and pop culture. As kids, when we played games based on this premise, it was all rooted in the fictionalized version that was portrayed on screen. So, it’s not about it being a new concept or people using it in a harmful way as a racial slur. It’s simply a game that has been around for a long time,” Hart explained.
The star of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, along with his wife who is 34, celebrated the arrival of their first child in November 2017. In addition to their new addition, Hart is also a proud father to his 11-year-old son named Hendrix and his 13-year-old daughter called Heaven.
