Kevin Hart States He Has No Plans to Host the Academy Awards Ever

Kevin Hart put a stop to fans' dreams of seeing him on the famous platform in a recent interview with Bravo's Watch What Happens Live Reiterating his position that he will never present at the Oscars. The 44-year-old comedian declared emphatically, "Kill the idea of it, it’s not going to happen." This news comes after the uproar that broke out in 2018 when Hart was first scheduled to host the 91st Academy Awards but had to withdraw when his old homophobic remarks reappeared on social media.

Hart's decision to decline to host the Oscars was motivated by backlash from tweets from 2011 and a 2015 Rolling Stone interview. The comedian caused a stir in the public at the time by expressing inappropriate opinions, as reported by People. Hart first declined to apologize for the now-public tweets, which led to a social media backlash and an ultimatum from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Ultimately, Hart elected to step down from the hosting post, claiming in a tweet, "I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past."

Hart's relationship with the Oscars has been permanently impacted by the uproar following his previous remarks. In the latest Watch What Happens Live interview, when questioned about the potential of hosting the Academy Awards, Hart remarked, "There’s just no return of good. What is it doing for me? There’s no upside at this point. That’s the only reason why." The comedian made it clear that the Oscars don't have the same appeal as they previously had. He said, “I think at a point of time in my career, it was something that acted as a bump and want, just to get a notch in my belt of something else that I was able to obtain and view. But I’m far beyond and past that. But I don’t need that at this point.”

In an interview with Sky News, Hart expressed similar feelings about hosting the Oscars, saying, "Whatever little hope you had, I want to destroy it right now. “Those gigs aren’t good gigs for comics. It’s no shot to the Oscars, no shot to the Globes, or anything else. Those just aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore… The days of it being a room for a comic, those days are done."

Hart remained hesitant to apologize ensuing controversy. The Academy, ABC, and Hart's management were contacted by GLAAD, a group that monitors the media, regarding the comedian's past and rhetoric. "Hart’s apology to LGBTQ people is an important step forward, but he missed a real opportunity to use his platform and the Oscars stage to build unity and awareness. We would still welcome that conversation with him. The Academy has recently made significant strides in featuring diverse talent onstage and they should now double down on that commitment as they look for a new host," said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in response to Hart's decision to resign, back in 2018 as per USA Today.