KEVIN HART VS. THE OSCARS
onstage during the 88th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California.
Kevin Hart says he won’t host Oscars after the backlash over old homophobic tweets
Kevin Hart is stepping down from hosting the Oscars after homophobic tweets from nearly a decade ago surfaced.
The tweets, between 2009 and 2011, included derogatory language referring to gay people and made disparaging comments about sexuality.
“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s,” Hart, who is currently performing in Sydney, Australia, announced late Sunday on Twitter. “This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past. I’m sorry that I hurt people… I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.”
Before Kevin Hart apologized to the LGBTQ community Thursday night for his old homophobic tweets, he insisted he’d addressed the issue many times in the past, had matured since then and was focused on being positive … and we may have found the proof of his claims.
Hosting the Academy Awards is an infamously thankless gig, exposing the emcee to intense scrutiny from the culturati and critics, typically with little to gain professionally in exchange. It’s gotten so bad that earlier this week, in response to the fact that dozens of celebrities had turned down the Academy’s requests to preside over this year’s ceremony, The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed hosting the Oscars “the least wanted job in Hollywood.”
