Kevin Hart Addresses Past Homophobic Tweets After Confirming He Is Hosting the Oscars

Kevin Hart is addressing his past homophobic tweets following the news he was set to host the 91st Academy Awards.

The Night School actor, 39, shared a video of himself lying in bed on Instagram Thursday night in which he spoke about the resurfacing of his previous tweets which have been deleted.

“I swear man our world is becoming beyond crazy. I’m not going to let the craziness frustrate me or anger me especially when I worked hard to get to the mental space that I am at now,” he said.

Hart continued, “My team calls me, ‘Oh my God, Kevin, the world is upset about tweets you did years ago.’ Oh my God. Guys, I’m almost 40 years old. If you don’t believe that people grow, change, evolve as they get older, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“If you want to hold people in a position where they always have to justify or explain their past — then do you,” he added. “I’m the wrong guy, man. I’m in a great place, a great mature place where all I do is spread positivity. If you’re not doing that, you’re not on my page.”

In the caption, Hart wrote, “Stop looking for reasons to be negative…Stop searching for reasons to be angry….I swear I wish you guys could see/feel/understand the mental place that I am in. I am truly happy people….there is nothing that you can do to change that…NOTHING.”

“I work hard on a daily basis to spread positivity to all….with that being said. If u want to search my history or past and anger yourselves with what u find that is fine with me,” he continued. “I’m almost 40 years old and I’m in love with the man that I am becoming. You LIVE and YOU LEARN & YOU GROW & YOU MATURE. I live to Love….Please take your negative energy and put it into something constructive. Please….What’s understood should never have to be said. I LOVE EVERYBODY…..ONCE AGAIN EVERYBODY. If you choose to not believe me then that’s on you….Have a beautiful day.”

Hart came under fire after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — which hosts the Oscars — confirmed he would host the award show in February 2019.

His previous tweets containing homophobic statements resurfaced shortly after the news, including tweets that contained, “Why does @wayne215 have so many pictures of me in his phone!!! What ru some type of FAT F– that takes pic of small black men all day?”

In Hart’s 2010 comedy special, Seriously Funny, he told the audience, “One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay. That’s a fear.”

“Keep in mind, I’m not homophobic. Be happy. Do what you want to do. But me, as a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will,” he said.

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Hart later addressed his comments in a Rolling Stone profile in 2015, saying his words were “about my fear.”

“I’m thinking about what I did as a dad, did I do something wrong, and if I did, what was it?” he said at the time.

“Not that I’m not gonna love my son or think about him any differently,” Hart explained. “The funny thing within that joke is that it’s me getting mad at my son because of my own insecurities — I panicked. It has nothing to do with him, it’s about me.”

“That’s the difference between bringing a joke across that’s well thought-out and saying something just to ruffle feathers,” he added. “I wouldn’t tell the joke today, because when I said it, the times weren’t as sensitive as they are now. I think we love to make big deals out of things that aren’t necessarily big deals, because we can. These things become public spectacles. So why set yourself up for failure?”

Hart confirmed he was hosting the Oscars on Tuesday in which he shared a photo of the iconic statue on Instagram.

“For years I have been asked if I would ever Host the Oscars and my answer was always the same…I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it’s suppose to,” Hart wrote in the caption.

“I am so happy to say that the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars. I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time….To be able to join the legendary list of host that have graced that stage is unbelievable,” he continued.

Hart added, “I know my mom is smiling from ear to ear right now. I want to thank my family/friends/fans for supporting me & riding with me all this time….I will be sure to make this years Oscars a special one. I appreciate the @TheAcademy for the opportunity ….now it’s time to rise to the occasion #Oscars.”