Kevin Hart stepped down as Oscar host late Thursday following a crisis stemming from the comedian's refusal to apologize for his previous homophobic comments and tweets.
"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," Hart wrote on Twitter, before uttering words he had refused to say just hours before. "I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past."
The stunning move came after Hart became involved in a spiraling social media battle over his past tweets and his steadfast refusal to apologize for them.
His lack of remorse prompted an ultimatum from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — apologize or have your hosting duties revoked. In the span of hours, Hart had stepped down from the prestigious awards show hosting job.
The comedian, 39, wrote on Twitter: "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."
The trouble actually started shortly after Hart triumphantly announced via Instagram Tuesday that he’d be hosting the 91st Academy Awards on Feb. 24.
Shortly thereafter, several Twitter users resurfaced past tweets from Hart where he tweeted words like "homo" and "gay." Per E! News, the since-deleted tweets date back to 2011.
An interview Hart gave to Rolling Stone in 2015 was also resurfaced. Hart had said: "Keep in mind, I'm not homophobic... Be happy. Do what you want to do. But me, as a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.”
One person upset with the hiring of Hart wrote in a NSFW tweet: “Fire Kevin Hart and hire a gay man instead to host the Oscars…”
Another person wrote: “Hey @TheAcademy one way to make your ratings even lower is to have @KevinHart4real and his homophobic (expletive) host your award ceremony.”
GLAAD, the media-monitoring organization, told USA TODAY Thursday that it had contacted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to discuss Hart’s upcoming Oscar hosting gig.
“GLAAD reached out to ABC, The Academy and Kevin Hart’s management to discuss his rhetoric and record as well as opportunities for positive LGBTQ inclusion on the Oscars stage,” the organization said in a statement. “They have not yet responded.”
Late Thursday, Hart reacted with his Instagram post.
"If u want to search my history or past and anger yourselves with what u find that is fine with me. I’m almost 40 years old and I’m in love with the man that I am becoming," Hart wrote in a caption of a video. "You LIVE and YOU LEARN & YOU GROW & YOU MATURE. I live to Love....Please take your negative energy and put it into something constructive."
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