Kevin Hart is reconsidering his decision to walk away from hosting the Oscars.
The 39-year-old comedian opened up about his predicament during an appearance on The Ellen Show that aired Friday, telling Ellen DeGeneres he’s “evaluating” whether he should give the Academy another shot.
Hart made the admission after DeGeneres urged him not to give up on his “dream.”
“Leaving here, I promise you, I’m evaluating this conversation,” he told DeGeneres. “This is a conversation I needed to have, I’m glad that I had it here, and I’m glad that it was as authentic and real as I could have hoped that it would be.”
He continued: “So let me assess, just to sit in this space and really think, and you and I will talk before anything else.”
Read More: Kevin Hart Steps Down as Oscars Host Amid Homophobic Tweet Backlash
DeGeneres repeatedly expressed her support for Hart during the interview, even going as far to mention that she called the Academy on his behalf.
“We want him to host, whatever we can do, we would be thrilled, and he should host,” the 60-year-old mogul said about the Academy’s response.
DeGeneres also encouraged Hart to ignore the haters, adding: “Don’t pay attention to them; they are a small group of people who are very, very loud. We are a huge group of people who love you and want you to host the Oscars.”
Read More: Nick Cannon Slams Academy Amid Kevin Hart Hosting Controversy
The Night School star’s appearance on Ellen comes less than a month after he gave up the hosting gig due to the controversy surrounding his old homophobic tweets. Hart refused to apologize for the messages, arguing: “If you want to hold people in a position where they always have to justify or explain their past, then do you. I’m the wrong guy, man.”
Although it remains to be seen whether he will work things out with the Academy, one thing is clear: many people aren’t happy with DeGeneres at the moment.
“I expected Ellen to actually ask Kevin Hart some sort of challenging question,” activist DeRay Mckesson tweeted. “Anything, really. But instead, it was just one long monologue from Kevin interspersed with Ellen’s approval. That interview made me miss the previous talk show hosts that asked tough questions.”
I expected Ellen to actually ask Kevin Hart some sort of challenging question. Anything, really. But instead, it was just one long monologue from Kevin interspersed with Ellen’s approval. That interview made me miss the previous talk show hosts that asked tough questions.
— deray (@deray) January 4, 2019
“Hi Ellen. I think you’re a cool lady. Have for a while now. But this? This ain’t it,” a fan wrote. “Kevin’s attacks were geared toward Black gay men. That being said, you have no authority to forgive him on behalf of a section of the community you don’t belong to.”
Hi Ellen. I think you’re a cool lady. Have for a while now. But this? This ain’t it. Kevin’s attacks were geared towards Black gay men. That being said, you have no authority to forgive him on behalf of a section of the community you don’t belong to.
— tripping the gay fantastic. (@DamoneWilliams_) January 4, 2019
“As a Black queer someone who, when my body began to manifest aspects of my identity even I was unaware of was punched in the chest by Black men in my family and told to ‘man up,’ Ellen can’t and doesn’t speak for me,” someone else chimed in.
As a Black queer someone who, when my body began to manifest aspects of my identity even I was unaware of was punched in the chest by Black men in my family and told to “man up,” Ellen can’t and doesn’t speak for me. #KevinHart https://t.co/biFbhtGTdm
— Tre'vell Anderson (@TrevellAnderson) January 4, 2019
You can watch clips from Hart’s appearance on Ellen below.