The joy over Kevin Hart’s prestigious honor of hosting the 91st Academy Awards was cut short after anti-gay tweets surfaced, questioning his eligibility to host the ceremony.
The tweets stem from 2009 to 2011, just before the success of his third stand up Laugh at My Pain. Like many of his jokes, the tweets involved comments about his children and fear about his son’s sexual orientation.
“Yo if my son comes home & tries 2 play with my daughters’ dollhouse I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay,’ he tweeted in 2011. Another from 2009 uses the terms f**. “How many ‘gay’ men sweat when they wear dress shirts because real men don’t lmao p.s f**.”
As his star began to climb, Hart’s continued to toy the lines of homophobia. “One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay,” Hart said in his 2010 special, Seriously Funny. “That’s a fear. Keep in mind, I’m not homophobic. Be happy. Do what you want to do. But for me, as a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.”
Speaking to Rolling Stone about his past comments, Hart apologized, explaining how ignorant he was about his old jokes. “The funny thing within that joke is it’s me getting mad at my son because of my own insecurities — I panicked,” he said in 2015. “It has nothing to do with him, it’s about me. That’s the difference between bringing a joke across that’s well thought-out and saying something just to ruffle feathers. I wouldn’t tell that joke today, because when I said it, the times weren’t as sensitive as they are now. I think we love to make big deals out of things that aren’t necessarily big deals because we can.”
Hart’s hosting gig might be in jeopardy, despite his past apologies about his actions. The lines blur given that the comedian has hosted gigs in the past–including the 2011 BET Awards–without the mention of his old jokes. Critics have made gifs of his old tweets in efforts to immortalized them while lining up their faves to be his replacement.
It’s not known if the academy heads will rescind their invite to Hart.
READ MORE: Kevin Hart To Host 91st Oscars