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Celebrities

Kevin Hart Steps Down From Oscar Hosting Job

His decision to step down comes on the heels of his old, homophobic tweets resurfacing.

Raffy Ermac

Digital Director, Out.com

Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

Read Full Bio

Raffy Ermac

byraffy

December 07 2018 1:03 AM EST

May 31 2023 3:33 PM EST

It looks like the Oscars need a new host.

Shortly after it was announced that actor and comedian Kevin Hart would be hosting the 2019 Academy Awards, old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced.

— (@)

After his anti-gay tweets (mostly dated between 2009 to 2011) expectedly received backlash from the online community, Hart took to Twitter again today to announce that he would be stepping down from his position as Oscar host.

\u201cI 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.\u201d
— Kevin Hart (@Kevin Hart) 1544158879

Hart's move to step down follows two non-apologies he posted earlier today on his Instagram account.

"Stop looking for reasons to be negative ... Stop searching for reasons to be angry," he captioned the first video (below).

See on Instagram

"I just got a call from the Academy and that call basically said, ‘Kevin, apologize for your tweets of old or we’re going to have to move on and find another host.’ I’m talking about the tweets from 2009 and 2010,” he said in the other (below). "I chose to pass on the apology. The reason why I passed is because I’ve addressed this several times. This is not the first time this has come up. I’ve addressed it. I’ve spoken on it. I’ve said where the rights and wrongs were. I’ve said who I am now versus who I was then. I’ve done it. I’m not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I’ve moved on and I’m in a completely different place in my life."