Kevin Hart comes to the defense of his friend Ellen DeGeneres again in a new interview

Kevin Hart explained his defense of his friend Ellen DeGeneres amid accusations that she led a toxic workplace in a new interview published Tuesday.

The 41-year-old comic and actor spoke with Deadline about why he stood up for the 62-year-old comedian and talk show host.

The Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle actor also weighed in on cancel culture and losing his 2018 Oscars hosting gig after homophobic joke tweets from his past resurfaced.

When asked we had supported both Ellen and his friend Nick Cannon amid their scandals, Kevin said his support was based on their enduring friendships. 

‘Well, I don’t lose sight of the definition of friendship, and in our business, it’s one thing that people don’t really hold on to,’ he began.

‘There’s a lot of relationships that are fake, and there’s some that are real. In my case, the ones that are real are the ones that I’m always going to be adamant about speaking on behalf of. I know the people that both of them are, and knowing the people, all I can say is my experiences with those people.

‘That’s not to take away from what other people are saying that they have had, and that they have done. It’s just to highlight what I’m saying I know, and what I can speak on behalf of.’

His own brush with cancel culture as he was forced to step down from hosting the Academy Awards two years ago helped him to empathize with their plights.

‘In times like this, I know also how dark it gets. I know how lonely it gets, because I know that these are times when people just turn their back on you. So for the ones that you love, that are close to your heart, you just want them to have some support, when it seems that there is none out there, and that’s just who I am as a person,’ he said.

Kevin stressed that his defense of the two was based on their longtime friendships, and he tried not to invalidate the criticisms others had leveled.

‘It doesn’t mean that you have to disregard the things that others are saying,’ he clarified. ‘It means that I can just speak on my relationship with my friends.

‘When it comes to Nick, and it comes Ellen, I know who they are, and I know who they’ve been for the years that I’ve been around them, and I can only speak to that. Those are two of the most amazing people that I know,’ he added.

Kevin previously came to Ellen’s defense in an Instagram post from August 4.

He called her ‘one of the dopest people on the f**king planet,’ and said she had ‘treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1.’

In recent months, Ellen has been accused of racism, bullying and fostering a ‘toxic environment’ behind the scenes of her hit talk show. 

An official investigation into the allegations, made by past and present employees, was launched by WarnerMedia earlier in the month.

On Saturday, Kevin met up with Ellen for an outdoors lunch at Rosewood Miramar in Montecito.

Elsewhere in his interview, Kevin explained why he chose to document the road to his Oscars controversy in his Netflix docuseries Kevin Hart: Don’t F**k This Up.

He called the documentary ‘an opportunity here to just be truthful and transparent,’ and appreciated how it showed off a different side of himself than his films or stand-up shows.

He also wanted the series to show the parts of his life that he doesn’t normally share with his fans on social media.

‘Within Don’t F**k This Up, it was, here’s a lot of s**t that you never saw, and that you never would have known, if I didn’t make the choice to make it available. This is as real, as raw, as truthful and authentic as it can get, but this is where I want people to realize that just because you didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, and you don’t know all the layers to individuals.’

The Night School actor admitted he’d originally thought people were overreacting to his controversial old tweets, but after speaking with friends he came to understand how offensive some found them.

But even if he had a do-over, Kevin wouldn’t have hosted the Oscars.

‘If I could go back, I don’t think the hosting of the Oscars would’ve happened, because I still think that moment was tainted,’ though he said he would have apologized sooner. 

Tuesday also marked Kevin’s wife Eniko Hart’s birthday, so the two pulled out all the stops for a birthday party by the sea.

The comedian looked dapper in a lustrous black suit next to his wife, now 36, who glowed in a sheer black dress that revealed her black bandeau and her growing baby bump.

‘Happy B Day @enikohart,’ he captioned a photo of himself cradling her tummy. ‘Seeing you smile makes me smile more. Love u to the moon and back momma…..’

‘it’s my birthday! ✨,’ Eniko captioned a photo taken by the ocean. ‘Thanking God for blessing me with another beautiful year. I’m grateful for this priceless gift that he has bestowed upon me. Another chance to breathe, to choose my direction, to love and be loved! To the people in my life who make me smile, support me, and bring me joy.. a big THANK YOU! xoxo.’

She also shared a photo of Kevin looking debonair with a glass of wine in the same spot.

‘Yesterday was beautiful because if [sic] you.. i love you babe. @kevinhart4real,’ she wrote.

Another snap from her Insta Stories featured a gorgeous white cake topped with flowers.

‘This cake was EVERYTHING!’ she captioned it. ‘It tasted just as good as it looked. #needmore.’