Kevin Hart will no longer host the 2019 Oscars, the actor and comedian announced late Thursday night.
In a statement posted to Twitter just after 9 p.m. PT, Hart wrote: “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. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”
In a second tweet, he added: “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.”
Related: Whoopi Goldberg Pitches Herself as Oscars Host After Kevin Hart Exits
The posts came hours after a controversy erupted over homophobic tweets the comedian posted almost a decade ago.
Social media users uncovered the tweets earlier in the day, leading to calls for Hart to apologize, which he declined.
“I got a call from the academy and that call basically said, ‘Kevin apologize for your tweets of old.’ I passed on the apology. The reason why I passed is that I’ve addressed this several times. This is not the first time this has come up. 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,” he said in a video statement posted to Instagram.
“I’m thankful and appreciative of the opportunity,” he added. “But if it goes away, no harm, no foul.”
The Night School star announced two days earlier that he would be hosting the Academy Awards in February and did it was something he’d always dreamed of.
“For years I have been asked if I would ever Host the Oscars and my answer was always the same…I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it’s supposed to,” he shared in a statement on Dec. 4.
“I am so happy to say that the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars. I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time….To be able to join the legendary list of host[s] that have graced that stage is unbelievable,” he added. “I know my mom is smiling from ear to ear right now. I want to thank my family/friends/fans for supporting me & riding with me all this time.”
Hart said he would “rise to the occasion” in his statement. Instead, his hosting gig has fallen apart amid controversy.
Among the jokes that landed Hart in the crosshairs of social media sleuths, “Yo if my son comes home & try’s 2 play with my daughters doll house I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay,'” he posted in 2011.
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