Joe Budden Clarifies Kevin Hart Cheating Comments After Being Criticized By "The Real"

Recent remarks made by Joe Budden regarding Kevin Hart’s infidelities made their way their way to The Real. After watching the comedian’s Netflix docuseries Kevin Hart: Don’t F**k This Up, Budden shared that he “understands” how Hart could have been tempted to cheat on his pregnant wife, Eniko Hart.

“He works really hard. I can work harder. Like, I can see how n*ggas cheat,” Joe said on an episode of his podcast. “In thinking about how hard he works, sometimes you’re not home but for 10 seconds in the day, for however many days, and I as a man can understand how that can be difficult. I know how I was feeling just going to work however many hours I was going to work and spending very little time at home.”

It didn’t take long for the ladies of The Real to grab Joe’s soundbite and discuss why they vehemently disagreed with his comments. On the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Joe responds to the hosts’ criticisms and clarifies that he wasn’t condoning Hart’s behavior.

“Why is the art of actually understanding someone dead?” the podcast host asked. Budden said that the ladies didn’t even give him a chance and were quick to disagree. “The art of understanding is not the same as condoning or agreeing. Back to what words mean when I’m speaking to somebody who just makes some sh*t up. Am I off?”

Joe reiterated that just because someone vocalized that they can “understand” something, it in no way is a “co-sign” for that behavior. Rory added that some women don’t believe there is any understanding, condoning, or co-signing cheating under any circumstances. In return, Joe sparked a discussion about marriage and how a person would want their “partner to be empathetic toward your mistakes. I’m not gonna say cheating, but your mistakes.”

“I hate that everything has to turn into a gender war, because for me, this wasn’t a gender war type of thing,” Joe continued. “This is a human thing. I wasn’t saying, ‘He’s a guy and he works hard, he has money and he’s powerful, so he should be able to cheat.’ I don’t know where that interpretation came from.”

He added, “So no, it is not okay to cheat. It is not okay for Kevin Hart to cheat. Ladies of The Real, that was never said here, and I hate when we’re just presented a certain way when we’re in this new age of just clip floatin’ so we only go by the clip. I said a whole lot more than what was displayed here. We do not condone cheating, however, I’m not part of the society that is looking to kill actually understanding human behavior and psychology.” Check out his full response to The Real‘s hosts below.