Ellen DeGeneres Defends Kevin Hart in Oscars Controversy
by EG
Ellen DeGeneres thinks people are being too hard on Kevin Hart over homophobic jokes he made several years ago. She also thinks he should host the Oscars, an opinion that isn't sitting well with some of her fans. Read on for details.
Via Deadline.
Will Kevin Hart host the 2019 Academy Awards after all? Ellen DeGeneres made a strong case for the comedian to reverse his decision to step down as Oscar host in the wake of the controversy sparked by unearthed 10-year-old homophobic tweets. The move adds yet another dramatic twist to the host search for the February ceremony, which has gone down to the wire, with The Academy reportedly considering multiple presenters or even no host at all.
During a lengthy interview on her syndicated talk show, which was taped Thursday and will air Friday, DeGeneres, herself a former Oscar host, said that she had called The Academy earlier in the day to ask them whether they would consider reinstating Hart as host. “We want him to host, whatever we can do, we would be thrilled, and he should host,” DeGeneres said of the reaction she got from The Academy.
Addressing the Internet “trolls” who toppled Hart’s dream gig of hosting the Oscars with their online attacks, DeGeneres said, “Don’t pay attention to them; they are a small group of people who are very, very loud. We are a huge group of people who love you and want you to host the Oscars.”
Hart was hesitant, saying, “it’s tough for me because it was an attack, a malicious attack on my character, to end me.”
DeGeneres responded that “they (the “haters”) will win if you don’t host the Oscars. You can’t let them destroy you because you have too much talent, and for them to stop you from your dream, from what you want to do, what you have the right to do, what you should be doing… Don’t let those people win, host the Oscars… That’s why they (The Academy) haven’t found another host, because they are secretly hoping that you would come back.”
Get the rest of the story at Deadline.
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