Kevin Hart, who had stepped down as the host of the 91st Academy Awards 48 hours after the announcement was made in the wake of a controversy about reported homophobic comments he made in the past, is 'evaluating his decision' after speaking to Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, reports Variety. The actor comedian recently appeared on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show where he said: "Leaving here I promise you I'm evaluating this conversation. This is a conversation I needed to have, I'm glad I had it here. I'm glad it's as authentic and real as I could've hoped it would be."
Kevin instagrammed a picture of himself in conversation with Ellen and said that he "stopped by" Ellen's show for a promo of his upcoming film The Upside but he "ended up staying on for the entire hour" during which they discussed the "Oscar controversy in depth." He said: "This was by far the most raw/honest and authentic interview that I have ever done."
Ellen, who has hosted the Oscars ceremony twice (in 2007 and then in 2014), also told Kevin Hart that she spoke to the Academy to re-hire him for the host's job, which is still vacant. "We want him to host, we feel like maybe he misunderstood or it was handled wrong, or maybe we said the wrong thing. But we want him to host. Whatever we can do, we want him to host," Ellen DeGeneres said she was told, reports Variety.
In December 2018, soon after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Kevin Hart as the host of the upcoming season of the Oscars, several reported homophobic remarks tweeted by Kevin Hart in the past resurfaced on social media. The Academy was criticised for selecting Kevin Hart for the job, who in turn posted a video, in which he said: "I just got a call from the Academy, and that call basically said, 'Kevin apologise for your tweets of old or we're going to have to move and find another host.' I chose to pass, I passed on the apology."
In the same video, he said: "The reason I chose to pass is because I've addressed this several times... I've said who I am now vs who I was then. 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."
As of now the spot for Oscars 2019 host is vacant as the Academy hasn't been able to hire someone for the job. According to Variety Magazine, the criticism directed at Kevin Hart "dampened efforts to recruit a new host" and it is being speculated that this year, Oscars could be without a host for the first time in decades.
The 91st Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday February 24, which will be Monday morning (February 25) in India.
