Here's Your Exhaustive Guide To Kevin Hart's Oscars Hosting Saga

The 2019 Oscars hosting saga has reportedly come to an end. There will be no host for the 91st Academy Awards. At least, that's what the story is at this point in time — nevertheless soon after over one month of back-and-forth reports involving the matter, it's hard to believe that any conclusion is actually final.


The decision comes immediately after over one month of will-he-won't-he deliberations with Kevin Hart, who was originally tapped to host the ceremony. Let's take a look at the long road we took to get to this place.


Tuesday, December 4


It all began on December 4, any time Hart reported that the dream he had spoken about for years was finally coming true: He had been asked to host the Oscars. "I am blown away simply because this has been an objective on my list for a long time," he wrote on Instagram. "To have the ability to join the legendary list of host[s] that have graced that stage is unbelievable."


He closed out the announcement by promising, almost ominously, to create this year's ceremony "a special one." Somehow, I don't think what came in the hours that followed is the brand of special he had in mind.


Wednesday, December 5


By the following morning, Hart's past had already come back to haunt him. Literally overnight, people had dug up soundbites from stand-up routines, excerpts from his book, and tweets revealing problematic standpoints and behaviors involving LGBTQ and women's issues from roughly a decade earlier. Some critics even went as far as labeling Hart homophobic.


Thursday, December 6


Hart soon felt the pressure of his resurfaced, now-viral words, nevertheless rather than listen to the criticism and respond to it, at first, he posted a video on Instagram to express his disinterest in the troll mentality.


"Guys, I'm almost 40 years old. In the event you don't believe that people change, grow, evolve as they get older, I don't know what to tell you. In case you wish to hold people in the position where they routinely have to justify and explain their past, then do you. I'm the incorrect guy, man," he mentioned. "I'm in an excellent place. A good, mature place where all I do is dispersed positivity. If you're not doing that, you're not on my page."


But the bad news kept on coming for the comedian. Hours immediately after posting that video, he posted another, yet this time, he took a very different attitude from the soft, black-and-white, shirtless video he shot in bed.


This time, Hart was posting to tell the world that the Academy had called him with a ultimatum: Apologize for your past, or lose the gig. "I chose to pass. I passed on the apology. Reason why I passed is because I've addressed this a couple of times," he mentioned, before further asserting that he's explained and apologized several times over the years.


That night, he followed up the video with a statement on Twitter formalizing his choice to step down from hosting the Oscars "because I don't aspire to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so several astonishing talented artists." He apologized to the LGBTQ community specifically, then, in a second tweet, wrote, "I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and hope to continue to do so. My objective is to bring people with each other not tear us apart."


In the days that followed, the news cycle was filled with celebrities issuing their advice on the ordeal (some defending and others condemning), think-pieces on who should host the Oscars, SNL jokes about the debacle, and one poignant bit of insight from 2013 host, Seth MacFarlane, who noted the thanklessness of the job.


"Look, it's a gig that has all eyes on it," MacFarlane told Entertainment Weekly. "And any time you're doing something that's that much in the spotlight, with that much concentrate on it, that much intensity, you're going to have a lot of suggestions from a lot of people."


Monday, December 10


At the same time, in back of closed doors, the Academy was reportedly reeling from the Hart-break. Variety announced that the body was "blindsided" by Hart's choice to step down. Any time whenever they issued the ultimatum, they had apparently hoped Hart would supply a straightforward, public apology and stay on board. Right now, they were left scrambling because the rest of Hollywood prepared for their annual end-of-year holiday break.


Monday, December 31


Immediately after a number of quiet weeks, a glimmer of good news surfaced for those who still harbored hope for a reconciliation. Spotted, a celebrity information and statistics firm, revealed that after the backlash, Hart's reputation had been faring OK.


According to Variety, his in general approval rating — basically, his likability — didn't fall as far as most celebrity ratings do following a scandal, and in those few weeks since his apology, he had already recovered about half of the likability that he had lost. Spotted CEO Janet Comemos called Hart's ability to rebound "uncanny."


Friday, January 4


Exactly one month immediately after he had reported the hosting gig, and right after adamantly saying he was "done" with that dream, Hart noticed himself in the spotlight once again — this time, all thanks to Ellen DeGeneres.


While appearing on The Ellen Show, soon after getting a full recap of what happened, DeGeneres revealed her support for her friend, noting that trim called the Academy to be able to see if there was anything anyone could to do get Hart his gig back, then proceeded to convince Hart to reconsider his choice to step down.


"You have put a lot of things on my mind. I know where our relationship stands, so leaving here, I promise you I'm evaluating this conversation ... Let me assess, just to sit in this space and really think — and you also and I will talk before anything else," Hart promised.


And right on cue, Variety announced that the Academy was open to having Hart back, if he was ready to come back.


Wednesday, January 9


Right after a number of days of public apologies and public assessment of his Ellen appearance, Hart appeared on Good Morning America and gave the final word on his Oscars hosting saga: "No."


Not long soon following the interview with Michael Strahan aired, Variety announced that the Oscars are going host-less for the initial time since the 1989 ceremony, calling the notion that Hart might still return "100% dead." Rather than have a singular host, this year's ceremony will rely on a series of presenters to carry the show.


also it is with careful optimism that we end the saga here — but who understands what can take place before the Oscars roll around on Sunday, February 24.