Kevin Hart’s decision to quit his 2019 Oscars-hosting gig came shortly after old tweets from the comedian resurfaced, offending several members of the LGBTQ community.
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. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.
— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018
During his latest appearance on Ellen, Hart and host Ellen DeGeneres discussed the newsworthy moment, and the Medal of Freedom winner said she had called the Academy to vouch for the actor.
“I called them, I said, ‘Kevin’s on; I have no idea if he wants to come back and host, but what are your thoughts?’ And they were like, ‘Oh my God, we want him to host!”
She went on, “We feel like that maybe he misunderstood or it was handled wrong. Maybe we said the wrong thing, but we want him to host. Whatever we can do, we would be thrilled. And he should host the Oscars.'”
DeGeneres, a lesbian, is aware that Hart’s previous jokes were “dangerous,” but she believes the comic has matured in the years since.
“As a gay person, I am sensitive to all of that. You’ve already expressed that it’s not being educated on the subject, not realizing how dangerous those words are, not realizing how many kids are killed for being gay or beaten up every day,” the popular talk show host said.
She added, “You have grown, you have apologized, you are apologizing again right now. You’ve done it. Don’t let those people win — host the Oscars.”
Check out the clip below.
Due in part to DeGeneres’ support, Hart says he is now considering hosting the ceremony again.
Some members of the LGBTQ community took issue with DeGeneres’ support of the Night School actor.
Ellen giving homophobes the ability to say “but Ellen said it’s okay” is a massive fucking betrayal.
I don’t care how many sitcoms you lost in the 90s.
— Happy Houlidays (@RyanHoulihan) January 4, 2019
This Ellen/Kevin Hart thing has me ALL THE WAY MESSED UP. The LGBTQ+ community does not need you minimizing their feelings & making the homophobic assholes feel empowered.
— Megan (@MeganInNoDak) January 4, 2019
(1) First, the people who brought up Kevin Hart’s past tweets — like me — were not, as Ellen characterized, “haters.” The host of the Oscars had made anti-gay jokes, and LGBT people who love the Oscars were legitimately startled to see just how harsh his words were. It wasn’t a…
— Adam B. Vary (@adambvary) January 4, 2019
Ooooooh, yeah I cant hop on board with this. I am and never have been a fan of Kevin Hart and his short man syndrome. I love ellen but her platform could be used in more positive ways than defending this guy!
— Lisa 💜 (@Lasell_83) January 4, 2019
The talk show host, however, is standing by Hart, tweeting, “I believe in forgiveness. I believe in second chances. And I believe in @KevinHart4real.”
I believe in forgiveness. I believe in second chances. And I believe in @KevinHart4real. pic.twitter.com/oJxfGXhU4P
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 4, 2019
This episode of Ellen airs today, Jan. 4, on NBC. Check local listings for time and channel.
