Comedian and almost-Oscars-host Kevin Hart is refusing to apologize has stepped down from hosting the Oscars following homophobic tweets he made resurfaced.
Update (1 AM ET): Just 90 minutes after Hart refused to apologize for the homophobic tweets he made in 2009 – 2010 (see below), Hart… apologized, and stepped down from hosting the 2019 Oscars. He wrote on Twitter:
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
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 Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018
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The sudden change of events is very bizarre, as it was less than two hours ago that Hart refused to apologize (see below).
Related: The time has come to stop letting comedians host the Oscars
Original Story (11:30 PM ET): In a video posted on Thursday evening, Hart says that The Academy has asked him to apologize for homophobic tweets (see bottom of article) that re-surfaced after they announced he would host the 2019 Oscars.
In his video, the comedian says that he will “pass on the apology.” Instead, he reminds us that he was a very different person in 2009 – 2010, and that being concerned about his homophobic remarks makes you a troll.
A video Hart posted earlier on Thursday finds him laying in bed reacting to the coverage of his homophobic tweets. Like in the above video, Hart refuses to apologize. He also informs us that he’s nearly 40 years old, implying that he’s grown out of the homophobia he had in his early 30s:
Hart’s team spent Thursday deleting the controversial tweets, but as is always the case on the internet, nothing is ever truly gone. Here’s a sample of Kevin Hart’s homophobic tweets that he refuses to apologize for:
After seeing this @benfraserlee tweet, I did a search for every time Kevin Hart tweeted "fag," "homo," or "gay." It was…a lot. And he seems to have basically stopped tweeting those words after 2011 — i.e. the year his first stand-up movie became a hit. https://t.co/P8nTOilFgx pic.twitter.com/6uzPhnvt4F
— Adam B. Vary (@adambvary) December 5, 2018
It’d be one thing if this was a one-time tweet (still bad, but not as bad), or if he apologized, or if he didn’t call out people who were alarmed by him repeatedly using the word “gay” or “fag” in a derogatory manner. But he can’t trouble himself to just say sorry, or realize that those comments were hurtful to people who aren’t trolls. It’s disturbing, disappointing, and the Oscars need to fire him.
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