You would think growing up should be easy, right? I mean, should nature ensure that as you grow up, your brain and level of maturity also adapt to the all ‘adulting’ things you should be doing as a grown up? Well, Kevin Hart is a human just like all of us. Though a funny little human.
When he was younger, he had held a certain position in his mind about the LGBTQ community, and Hart did not shy away from speaking about it. He was not exactly fond of the LGBTQ community, and he expressed some of those views on social media and as well some of his jokes.
Years passed by, he grew up, and somewhere along the line, he learned that everybody has the freedom to become whatever sexual orientation that pleases their heart. Long story short, Kevin Hart no longer harbors any negative views about the LGBTQ community. At least that is what he says now.
But you see, when he was younger he posted some of his negative views of the LGBTQ community online; particularly on Twitter. This year, Kevin Hart was picked to host the 91st annual Oscars Academy Award happening next year. Hart would have become the fifth Black performer to host this big event.
No doubt it would have been an excellent money-making opportunity for Mr. Hart, but it would also drive his career as an entertainer some notches higher. Though as fate would have it, that is not going to happen. Why you ask? Simply because the internet does not forget.
As you can imagine, the LGBTQ community, particularly in America, is quite huge. This community just like any other person in the world who loves entertainment will be watching the Oscars. Now, how would the show be hosted by someone who has clearly in the past gone out of his way to express dislike for the LGBTQ community?
Naturally, you would expect a backlash, and that is precisely what happened. Members of the LGBTQ community dug up into Mr. Hart past activities and unearthed some of his ‘unbecoming’ words against this community.
Hart felt he needed to clarify his current position, and how he has matured over the years, which led to him accepting people the way they chose to live their lives. Below is Mr. Hart trying to explain to fans, how things have changed for him over the years.
“My team calls me, ‘Oh my God, Kevin, everyone’s upset by tweets you did years ago,’” said Hart in a video posted on Instagram. “Guys, I’m nearly 40 years old. If you don’t believe that people change, grow, evolve as they get older, I don’t know what to tell you. If you want to hold people in a position where they always have to justify the past, do you. I’m the wrong guy, man.”
He again did another Instagram video hours later, letting his fans know that the Academy had called him asking him to apologize for his anti-LGBTQ remarks, which he made in the past, or they are “going to have to move on and find another host.”
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I know who I am & so do the people closest to me. #LiveLoveLaugh
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Hart categorically says he will not apologize since he has “addressed this several times.”
“I’ve done it. I’m not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I’ve moved on, and I’m in a completely different space in my life.”
Two hours later, Hart took to Twitter to say he has stepped down from hosting the Oscars.
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.
— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018