Kevin Hart confirms he won’t host the Oscars
Kevin Hart said he wouldn’t be hosting the Oscars after the outrage his homophobic jokes sparked.
Kevin Hart has confirmed that he won’t be the 2019 Oscars host.
In an interview with Good Morning America‘s Michael Strahan on Wednesday (January 9), the US comedian and actor said: “I’m not hosting the Oscars this year.
“Right now, from a time perspective, I don’t have the time. You’re talking about two weeks I’d have to prepare. I would like to call myself a perfectionist, so if I do something I want to give it my all.”
Watch Kevin Hart speak to Good Morning America:
FULL INTERVIEW: @KevinHart4real addresses the #Oscars controversy surrounding homophobic jokes he’s tweeted in the past, one-on-one with @michaelstrahan: https://t.co/H7qgNuSWji pic.twitter.com/OR7aiwpO8z
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 9, 2019
“I would want to make sure the production is a great representation of me and my talent.”
Kevin Hart refuses to comment on homophobic jokes
During the terse 10-minute interview, Hart repeatedly responded to questions about the homophobic tweets and jokes he made between 2009 and 2012 by saying: “I’m done.”
The actor explained: “It gets no more energy from me. That’s why I said for the last time, I’m addressing this. There’s no more conversation about it. I’m over that, I’m over the moment, and I’m about today.”
He was asked to talk about how he’s evolved, but declined. “I have explained how I evolved, which makes me say: ‘I’m over it,'” said Hart.
“I’m not saying how I’ve changed anymore, I’m not saying what I’ve done and what the new me is.”
— Kevin Hart
“I’m not saying how I’ve changed anymore, I’m not saying what I’ve done and what the new me is. I’m not giving no more explanation of who I am. I’ve done it. I’ve done it several times.
“I’ve tweeted it, I’ve talked about it when I went on Ellen. I’m done.”
When Strahan asked him whether he had a message for gay children, Hart continued to talk about himself, asking: “Why do you have to prove that you are a loving individual?”
Kevin Hart says he has repeatedly apologised for his homophobic jokes. (Paras Griffin/Getty)
He added: “You shouldn’t have to prove that, you shouldn’t have to justify that. That’s the position I’m in.
“What else do you want? You want blood? What [do] you want? You want my arms?”
Hart continued: “There is no ending to it. If you feed this energy then it’s going to grow. You’re not getting no more of my energy from it. I’m not giving no more… I’m not addressing it anymore.”
Why is Kevin Hart not hosting the Oscars?
Hart withdrew from the Oscars in December after receiving criticism for his past homophobic jokes.
Ellen DeGeneres, who was recently named the most admired LGBT+ person in the US, invited him on her show last week to convince him and the rest of America that he should fulfil his dream of hosting the Oscars.
He told the chat show host that he would reconsider his decision to back out from the Oscars, and apologised to the LGBT+ community earlier this week.
However, after acknowledging once again that his use of homophobic slurs such as “gay” or “faggot” was wrong, he proceeded to scold the LGBT+ community for not accepting his apology.
“I wish someone could shine a light on this community to see how bullish they become. You want me to be the face of this community because of this joke? This joke is now a representation of who I am?” he said.
Hart also rejected CNN host Don Lemon’s repeated invitation to become an LGBT+ ally, saying: “That’s not my life dream. That’s not my journey.”
