Kevin Hart is ready to move past his Oscars controversy and speculation that he could be hosting the 2019 Academy Awards.
Appearing on Good Morning America Wednesday for an interview with host Michael Strahan, the comedian emphasized that he was “done” discussing the topic that resurfaced this week following his interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
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“You will not hear me say anything else about it. I’ve done all that I can do,” he said. “I have explained how I’ve evolved, which makes me say I’m over it. I’m not saying I’ve changed anymore.”
“Here’s what I’m trying to say — I’m over it,” he continued. “That’s what I’m trying to say. I’m done with it. I’m talking about today. I’m talking about me today and the energy that I have and what I can do on a daily basis. I put out good energy. I aspire, I motivate. I’m a good person. I love to love. If you don’t see that, then that means that’s a problem with you… I have nothing else to prove or do.”
Last month, Hart announced that he would be stepping down from hosting the 2019 Academy Awards after resurfaced tweets from nearly a decade ago, in which he made controversial homophobic jokes, caused a fresh wave of controversy and calls for The Academy to rescind his invitation. At the time, Hart also faced backlash over a 2010 stand-up performance in which he joked about his fear of his son “growing up and being gay.”
“If anybody out there wants to believe that Kevin Hart is that much of a monster that he wouldn’t love somebody because of their choice in life, then all power to them,” Hart said when asked what he would do if one of his children came out to him. “Feel and choose to think how you think. I’m not addressing it. I’m not over delivering and over proving myself, because no matter what you do it may still not be received.”
Although Hart made it clear that he would not be hosting the 2019 Academy Awards, stating that “from a time perspective, I don’t really have the time,” he didn’t rule out the possibility of accepting the invitation should it be extended to him in the future.
“It’s hard to predict what can happen,” he said. “And I don’t want people to think that there’s a thing between me and the Academy, because there isn’t.”
The 2019 Academy Awards, set to air on Sunday, Feb. 24 on ABC, is reportedly planning to move forward without a host for the first time since 1989.
