Kevin Hart Steps Down As Oscars Host

Bella Breakdown

Just last week we excitedly broke the news of Kevin Hart as the 2019 Academy Awards host. Little did we know, some controversial news would surface almost immediately after, causing Hart to ultimately step down as host.

Within 48 hours, people began referencing anti-gay remarks that Hart had done in his stand up routines years earlier. There were also a series of tweets that Hart had made in previous years pointing to homophobic tendencies. When Hart got word of the complaints, he began trying to cover up his previous errors and attempted to make things right. Unfortunately, things only got worse. He deleted many of the old tweets and released a video on Instagram that many saw as the exact opposite of an apology.

“My team calls me, ‘Oh my God, Kevin, everyone’s upset by tweets you did years ago,’” he said in that video. “Guys, I’m nearly 40 years old. If you don’t believe that people change, grow, evolve as they get older, I don’t know what to tell you. If you want to hold people in a position where they always have to justify the past, do you. I’m the wrong guy, man.”

Following the many complaints and outcries for a new host, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Hart a choice: apologize or step down as host. In the end, he chose to remove himself as host.

“I chose to pass on the apology,” the comedian said in a second video. “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.”