{"id":192915,"date":"2018-12-07T04:50:49","date_gmt":"2018-12-07T09:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=192915"},"modified":"2018-12-07T04:50:49","modified_gmt":"2018-12-07T09:50:49","slug":"hart-steps-down-as-oscars-host-after-outcry-over-old-tweets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/12\/07\/hart-steps-down-as-oscars-host-after-outcry-over-old-tweets\/","title":{"rendered":"Hart steps down as Oscars host after outcry over old tweets"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cI chose to pass on the apology,\u201d\u00a0Hart\u00a0said. \u201cThe reason why I passed is because I’ve addressed this several times.\u201d (File Photo<\/a>: @kevinhart4real\/Instagram<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 Just two days after being named host of the Academy Awards,\u00a0Kevin\u00a0Hart\u00a0stepped down following an outcry over past homophobic tweets by the comedian.<\/p>\n

Capping a swift and dramatic fallout,\u00a0Hart\u00a0wrote on Twitter just after midnight Friday that he was withdrawing as Oscars host because he didn’t want to be a distraction. \u201cI sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past,\u201d wrote\u00a0Hart.<\/p>\n

Hart\u00a0stepped aside just about an hour after refusing to apologize for tweets that resurfaced after he was announced as Oscars host on Tuesday. In a video on Instagram,\u00a0Hart\u00a0said the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences gave him an ultimatum: apologize or \u201cwe’re going to have to move on and find another host.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose to pass on the apology,\u201d\u00a0Hart\u00a0said. \u201cThe reason why I passed is because I’ve addressed this several times.\u201d<\/p>\n

The film academy didn’t respond to messages Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

Hart\u00a0has since deleted some of the anti-gay tweets, mostly dated from 2009-2011. But they had already been screen-captured and been shared online. In 2011, he wrote in a since-deleted tweet: \u201cYo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an earlier post Thursday,\u00a0Hart\u00a0wrote on Instagram that critics should \u201cstop being negative\u201d about his earlier anti-gay remarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m almost 40 years old. If you don’t believe that people change, grow, evolve? I don’t know what to tell you,\u201d said\u00a0Hart, who added, in all-caps: \u201cI love everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hart’s attitudes about homosexuality were also a well-known part of his stand-up act. In the 2010 special \u201cSeriously Funny,\u201d he said \u201cone of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep in mind, I’m not homophobic, I have nothing against gay people, do what you want to do, but me, being a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will,\u201d\u00a0Hart\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

GLAAD, the advocacy group for LGBTQ rights, said Thursday that it reached out to Oscars broadcaster ABC, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and\u00a0Hart’s management to \u201cdiscuss\u00a0Kevin’s anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comedian and actor Billy Eichner said \u201ca simple, authentic apology showing any bit of understanding or remorse would have been so simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s not the first time an Oscars host has been derailed by anti-gay remarks. Ahead of the 2012 Academy Awards, producer Brett Ratner, who had been paired with host Eddie Murphy, resigned days after using a gay slur at a film screening. Murphy soon after exited, as well.<\/p>\n

That year, a tried-and-true Oscars veteran \u2014 Billy Crystal \u2014 jumped in to save the show, hosting for his eighth time. This time, speculation has already been rampant that few in Hollywood want the gig, for which few win glowing reviews.<\/p>\n

The film academy moved up this year’s ceremony to Feb. 24, giving producers little time to find a replacement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2014 Just two days after being named host of the Academy Awards,\u00a0Kevin\u00a0Hart\u00a0stepped down following an outcry over past …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-entertainment","category-hollywood","mauthors-jake-coyle","mauthors-the-associated-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192915\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}