07 DECEMBER 2018
US comedian and actor Kevin Hart abruptly withdrew from hosting the Oscars Thursday night amid flack for past homophobic and anti-gay tweets.
Two days after announcing he had landed what he called a dream gig, Hart said that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had told him to choose between apologising for the tweets or losing the job. Hart said the tweets were from nearly a decade ago and that he has matured since then.
โI chose to pass on the apology. The reason why I passed is because Iโve addressed this several times,โ Hart, 39, said during a video posted to Instagram.
โIโve said who I am now versus who I was then. Iโve done it. Iโm not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when Iโve moved on and Iโm in a completely different place in my life,โ Hart said.