Kevin Hart is stepping down as host of the upcoming Oscars following an outcry over a series of homophobic tweets that he deleted only after landing the gig.
In one message, posted in 2011, the US comedian and actor wrote about his fears about his then infant son’s future sexuality - a theme that is said to have cropped up in a number of Hart’s stand-up shows.
In other tweets, Hart used anti-gay slurs and made homophobic references about Aids. Several Twitter users were able to take screenshots of the tweets before they were removed following the announcement on Tuesday that he was to host the 2019 Academy Awards.
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Hart last night tweeted a message of apology for his past posts, just hours after uploading a video on his Instagram page in which he told fans that he was resisting pressure from the Academy to say sorry.
In the video posted earlier, he had explained: “I choose to pass. The reason why I passed is I’ve addressed this several times...I’ve said where the rights and wrongs were...I’m not going to do it. I’m going to stand my ground.”
LGBTQ campaigners had been calling for his removal as the Oscars frontman since his old tweets were reposted on Twitter earlier this week.
Advocacy group GLAAD told news website The Blast: “GLAAD reached out to [Oscars broadcaster] ABC, the Academy and Kevin Hart’s management to discuss his rhetoric and record as well as opportunities for positive LGBTQ inclusion on the Oscars stage.”
Many of the years’ most likely candidates for acting nominations, including Rami Malek, Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant, portrayed LGBTQ characters.
Hosting the Oscars is “considered one of the prestigious but difficult jobs in showbusiness”, says The Guardian. “Hart would have been one of a few black Oscar hosts in the event’s history, after Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg and Sammi Davis Jr.”
The Academy has not yet announced a replacement host.
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