Kevin Hart on Wednesday said he’s done addressing his past anti-LGBTQ comments and stated definitively that he will not host the Academy Awards ceremony this year.
The 39-year-old comedian’s past homophobic jokes and tweets were drawn back into the spotlight last month after he was named this year’s Oscars emcee. Following backlash and pressure from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hart apologized to the LBGTQ community for his “insensitive words.”
Asked about the controversy during an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, Hart refused to elaborate further on his apology or how he may have evolved in the years since tweeting homophobic comments.
“I’m done with it,” Hart told host Michael Strahan. “It gets no more energy from me. ... There’s no more conversation about it. I’m literally over that. I’m over the moment. And I’m about today.”
He continued: “I have explained how I’ve evolved, which makes me say, ‘I’m over it.’ I’m not saying how I’ve changed any more. ... I’m not giving no more explanation of who I am. I’ve done it. ... You will not hear me saying anything else about it.”
Hart, a previous Oscars presenter, stepped down as host of the show on Dec. 6, days after the academy selected him following a prolonged search and declining ratings for the annual broadcast. The choice of Hart quickly came under fire, with critics noting the comedian’s previous tweets and jokes expressing homophobia.
Hart, pressured by the academy to formally apologize, initially offered a non-apology.
“I’m not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I moved on, and I’m in a completely different space in my life,” Hart said in a video on Instagram. “I’m going to be me; I’m going to stand my ground.”
Later that day, Hart quit ― and apologized for the homophobic 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,” he wrote on Twitter. “I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”
It appeared as though Hart might reclaim the role of Oscars host after Ellen DeGeneres’ campaign for the academy to reinstate him following his appearance on her talk show earlier this month.
DeGeneres, who is openly lesbian, said she forgave Hart for the series of homophobic tweets and jokes. She also revealed that she had contacted the academy to see if it would give him another chance.
Hart apologized again on Monday during his SiriusXM radio show, “Straight From the Hart,” reiterating that he was sorry for any hurt he caused the LGBTQ community.
“I shouldn’t have to prove who I am,” Hart said Wednesday. “I shouldn’t have to prove the levels of love that I’m capable of giving. If anybody out there wants to believe that Kevin Hart is that much of a monster that he wouldn’t love somebody because of their choice in life then all power to them.”
“You’re not getting no more of my energy from it,” he added. “I want everybody to know that I’m done with it. ... I’m happy with me because I know the man I now am. That being said, I don’t have to prove that to anybody.”
It’s unclear whether the academy has someone in mind to replace Hart for the Oscars or whether the show, slated for Feb. 24, will be broadcast without a host for the first time in 30 years.