Comedian Kevin Hart was set to host the biggest night in Hollywood but all of that came crashing down. After the initial announcement that he would host, Hart stated, “For years I have been asked if I would ever host the Oscars and my answer was always the same. I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it’s supposed to. I am so happy to say the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars.”
But as word spread that Hart was the choice, his past material in stand-up came into question. His jokes were deemed to be homophobic and according to a tweet by Hart, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences wanted him to disavow this material. He posted a video to Instagram explaining the situation. “I just got a call from the Academy and that call basically said, ‘Kevin, apologize for your tweets of old or we’re going to have to move on and find another host. I’m talking about the tweets from 2009 and 2010.’ I chose to pass on the apology. The reason why I passed is because I’ve addressed this several times. This is not the first time this has come up. I’ve addressed it. I’ve spoken on it. I’ve said where the rights and wrongs were. I’ve said who I am now versus who I was then. I’ve done it. I’m not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I’ve moved on and I’m in a completely different place in my life.”
Hart later posted the following to Twitter: “I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s [sic] … this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing[ly] talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”
