Don’t expect to hear any more apologies from Kevin Hart about his homophobic tweets.
“I’m done with it. It gets no more energy from me,” Hart told Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday. “That’s why I said for the last time, I’m addressing this. There’s no more conversation about it. I’m literally over that. I’m over the moment. I’m about today. If [my apology is] accepted today, great. If it’s not, it’s nothing I can control. Some things are left out of your hands, so I’m done with it. I’m over it.”
Hart was announced as the 2019 Oscars host in December but stepped down just two days later after homophobic tweets he posted resurfaced on social media. The 39-year-old comedian went on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in January to address the controversy and eventually apologized to the LGBTQ community for his comments.
When Strahan asked Hart how he’s changed since the controversy, Hart replied, “I have explained how I’ve evolved, which makes me say I’m over it. I’m not saying how I’ve changed anymore … I’m not giving no more explanation of who I am. I’ve done it. I’ve done it several times … I’m just done.”
Hart continued to answer combatively after Strahan asked if he had any “understanding” of how LGBTQ youth could have been affected by his words.
“I have an understanding that I’ve addressed it, and I’ve said everything that I can possibly say, and I’m over it,” Hart snapped. “You will not hear me say anything else about it … I’ve done all that I can do.”
He added, “If you didn’t [understand], I don’t know what to tell you or do. I don’t know what you’re looking for.”
Hart maintained that he’s addressed the controversy enough times, including in 2008 and on “Ellen.” The latter apology caused severe criticism, with many calling out the talk show host for defending Hart and vouching for him to still host the Oscars.
“It shows me that there is no ending to it. If you keep feeding this energy, then it’s going to grow,” Hart told Strahan of the “Ellen” backlash. “You’re not getting no more of my energy from it. I’m not giving no more because it shows that it’s endless, so I’m not shutting down the questions. I hear everything you’re saying, but I want everybody to know I’m done with it. It’s a choice that I personally made to say, ‘I’m not addressing it anymore.’ That’s not from an angry place. It’s just from a place of it’s never going to really end. I’m done with it. So if people choose to continue to let it grow, then do what you got to do.”
Hart eventually gave a definitive answer about whether he’ll host the 2019 Oscars.
“No. I’m not hosting the Oscars this year,” he said. “It’s hard to predict what can happen … right now I don’t have the time.”