Kevin Hart Says He “F*cked Up” During The 2019 Oscars Controversy

Kevin Hart says he should have handled the 2019 Oscars drama differently.

Hart, 40, sat down for an interview with Men’s Health and opened up about stepping down as host of the 2019 Academy Awards after facing backlash from old, homophobic tweets that resurfaced. “I’m a firm believer in laying in the bed that you made,” Hart explained. “If there’s something that you did, then you did it. You know, there’s no wiggle room around it. You can address it, and then you can move on.”

He continued, “With the whole Oscars thing, there was a big gap between what I thought the problem was versus what the problem really was. I got 10 years where I made sure not to joke or play in the way that I did back then because it was a problem. I don’t care if you’re gay or not gay. I’m a people person. I’m going to love you regardless.” The comedian said it took having conversations with his close friends, including #WandaSykes, Ellen DeGeneres, and others, to help him understand the bulk of his actions. “Then I was like, ‘Oh, s**t — I did f**k up,’” he admitted.

This year, the Oscars will, once again, go hostless. “There will be no traditional host again this year. Repeating what worked for us last year: huge entertainment value, big musical numbers, big comedy, and star power,” said ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said at the winter Television Critics Association press tour last month. “A lot of incredible elements have already come together that have convinced us that we are going to have an incredibly entertaining show. Our goal is really that. Our goal is to present the most entertaining show possible, and the producers have already put together a plan for what is going to be an entertaining telecast,” she added.

Hart has been discussing the incident in his latest works, including his Netflix docuseries “Kevin Hart: Don’t F**ck This Up.” The actor revealed in the series that he was upset about the backlash he received from the old tweets and became angry at being labeled homophobic. “What I thought it was it wasn’t, and my approach to dealing with it because of the assumption that I had is just wrong. I missed an opportunity to say simply that I don’t condone any type of violence in any way, shape, or form to anyone for being who they are,” said Hart. “I f**ked up,” he added. “Instead, I said, ‘I addressed it.’ I said, ‘I apologized.’ I said, ‘I talked about this already.’ I was just immature.”