Kevin Hart has officially stepped down as host of the upcoming Oscars after refusing to apologize for a series of homophobic tweets he made several years ago. On Thursday, the comedian revealed that The Academy had given him an ultimatum: apologize for the tweets or say bye to his hosting gig.
"I passed on the apology. The reason why I passed is because I’ve addressed this several times," he said. "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’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 space in my life. The same energy that went into finding those old tweets could be the same energy put into finding the response to the questions that have been asked years after years after years. We’re feeding the internet trolls and we reward them. I’m not going to do it, man. I’m going to be me and stand my ground."
📷kevinhart4real📷I know who I am & so do the people closest to me. #LiveLoveLaugh
A few hours later (after plenty of backlash), Kevin stepped down from his position as host, re-thought his decision not to apologize, and issued a formal response.
"I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists," he writes in the tweets below. "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."
Kevin HartI have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....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.
Kevin HartI'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.
At this time, it's unclear who's stepping in for Kevin—but Busy Philipps is out here volunteering.