Ellen DeGeneres wants Kevin Hart to host the Oscars.
"I believe in forgiveness. I believe in second chances. And I believe in @KevinHart4Real," the daytime talk show host, and former host of the Academy Awards, said in a series of tweets late Thursday evening.
Hart stepped down from the hosting gig in December, shortly after it was announced that he would host the annual awards show because of controversy concerning past tweets that were deemed homophobic.
I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.
— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018
Late Thursday, DeGeneres shared two video clips from her talk show of her conversation with Hart, which will air on Friday's episode. (In a tweet, Ellen said the episode was originally going to air on Monday, but she moved it up.)
In one of the clips, DeGeneres told Hart that she called The Academy "because I really want you to host the Oscars." You can watch that video clip, here.
"I was so excited when I heard that they asked you. I thought it was an amazing thing. I knew how important it was and how it was a dream. So I called them and said 'Kevin's on. I have no idea if he wants to come back and host, but what are your thoughts? And they were like 'oh my god, 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 would be thrilled.'"
In another six-minute clip, Hart talked about what it was like to get the phone call asking him to host the Oscars, then seeing the headlines about his past tweets, and after being given an "ultimatum" from The Academy, deciding to step down and not host the show.
I believe in forgiveness. I believe in second chances. And I believe in @KevinHart4real. pic.twitter.com/oJxfGXhU4P
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 4, 2019
"When I was given that ultimatum, this is now becoming a cloud. What was once the brightest star and brightest light ever, just got real dark," Hart told DeGeneres in the tell-all episode. "The Oscars is no longer about Kevin Hart stepping into that stage and taking an intense night where people are so uptight and making it loose and fun...Now all of the sudden it's a little darker because the conversation isn't about me hosting the Oscars, the conversation is about Kevin Hart's tweets from 10 years ago and homophobia. I don't want to step on that stage and make that night about me and my past, when you have people that have worked hard to step on that stage for the first time and receive an award. I'm now taking away from all those moments because that night is now focused on something else now."
Hart said he has apologized for his past tweets before, and apologized again in the video clips that were shared.
"Either my apology is accepted or it isn't," he said. "Either I can move forward or I can't."
Hart did not say whether he would host the Oscars or not, but he told Ellen that he was evaluating the situation.
“You have put a lot of things on my mind. Leaving here, I’m promising you I’m evaluating this conversation. This is a conversation I needed to have. I’m glad that I had it here. And I’m glad that it was as authentic and real as I could have hoped that it would be," he said.
The Academy has not named a new host in the month since Hart stepped down. The awards show is set to air Feb. 24 on ABC.
