Kevin Hart Steps Down
as Oscar Host Amid Protest Hart announced he
was not hosting
via his social media accounts. Kevin Hart, via Twitter Kevin Hart, via Twitter Hart was announced as the
host of the Academy Awards on Wednesday. The announcement was met
with immediate protest, citing
anti-gay tweets and comments
Hart made close to 10 years ago. On Thursday, some
of the tweets
were deleted. The comedian also posted
a video addressing
his decision on Instagram. He says the Academy
gave him an ultimatum to
either apologize for the tweets
or they would find another host. "This is not the first time this has come up. I’ve addressed 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 place in my life." He added that "we feed internet
trolls power and we reward them." "I'm not going to do it,
man. I'm gonna be me. I'm
going to stand my ground." The Academy
has not commented
on Hart's decision.