Kevin Hart reaffirmed his decision not to host the Oscars, emphasizing the challenging conditions for comics at award shows and other ceremonies.
In an interview with Sky News published today (Jan. 12), Hart stated, “Whatever little hope you had, I want to destroy it right now. Those gigs aren’t good gigs for comics.” He pointed out that the Oscars and similar events like the Golden Globes are no longer conducive to stand-up. According to him, “Those just aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore.”
“I think [the Oscars] got it right one year where it was, like, just a bunch of personalities acting as the hosts, and that’s a nice thing,” the Get Hard star shared. “It’s a collaborative thing; different people get to be responsible for act one, act two, act three, but you know, the days of it being a room for [being] a comic, those days are done.”
Notably, Hart shared a similar sentiment after stepping down from the 2019 Oscars amid controversy over past homophobic comments. However, he did mention fellow comedians who have successfully entertained major award shows, citing Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Ricky Gervais.
“There’s a lot of people that understand that if you’re not an industry comic, meaning a comic that has the relationships of all, then those rooms are very cold,” he admitted. “It’s too much pressure on the idea of a comic and what’s jokes and not jokes. So, it’s tough.”
Outside of his stance on hosting awards, Hart is currently in the spotlight for his role in the Netflix film Lift, which began streaming today.
Earlier this week, his ex-wife, Torrei Hart, announced she would join Katt Williams on “The Dark Matter Tour.” Speaking to TMZ on Wednesday (Jan. 10), Kevin reacted, “I want everybody to win. I love everybody… I hope the tour is great.”