At the tail-end of 2018, Kevin Hart received major backlash after homophobic tweets he wrote in 2009 and 2011 resurfaced online. The controversy led him to withdraw from his hosting gig at the Oscars. While the comedian has been relatively silent since the incident, he’s now ready to sit down with Ellen DeGeneres to discuss his past transgressions.
Ellen took to Twitter on Jan. 3, where she revealed that she and Hart had a heartfelt chat on her self-titled show. “I had an incredible and honest conversation with @KevinHart4real about hosting the #Oscars,” she tweeted. “It was supposed to air on Monday. I don’t want you to have to wait, so now it’s gonna air tomorrow.”
On the show, Kevin presented his side of the situation, stating: “when it happened, my first thought is I’m gonna ignore it. I’m gonna ignore it because it was 10 years old. This is stuff I’ve addressed… I’ve apologized for it; I’m not gonna pay it any mind. Because when you feed into that stuff, you only add more fuel to the fire. I know that within my apologies, I’ve taken 10 years to put my apology to work.”
He continued: “I look at life through a different lens and because of that I live it a different way. So to be put in a position where I was given an ultimatum—’Kevin apologize or we’re going to have to find another host’—when I was given that ultimatum, this is now becoming like a cloud. What was once the brightest star, the brightest light ever, just got real dark.”
He also explained why he ultimately chose to leave the Oscars behind. “The Oscars is no longer about Kevin Hart stepping on that stage and taking an intense night where people are so uptight and making it loose and fun,” he said. “That’s my reason for doing it: I’m gonna bring fun to the Oscars. I’m gonna make the Oscars fun. Now all of a sudden it’s a little darker, because the conversation isn’t about me hosting the Oscars. The conversation is about Kevin Hart’s tweets from 10 years ago and homophobia.”
As previously noted, Hart was supposed to host the 91st Academy Awards on Feb. 24, before a series of tweets resurfaced online. The tweets suggested Hart would be physically abusive towards his son if he were ever to come out as gay. In light of the backlash, Hart revealed that the Academy had asked him to apologize or else. The Night School actor ultimately declined the request ad stepped down from his role.
“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s,” Hart said on Twitter in Dec. 2018. “This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists.”
As of now, the Academy has not selected a replacement host. Hart will appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Jan. 4, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC. Check out Ellen’s tweet and a clip of the show below.
I had an incredible and honest conversation with @KevinHart4real about hosting the #Oscars. It was supposed to air on Monday. I don’t want you to have to wait, so now it’s gonna air tomorrow.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 4, 2019
I believe in forgiveness. I believe in second chances. And I believe in @KevinHart4real. pic.twitter.com/oJxfGXhU4P
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 4, 2019