Kevin Hart has stepped down as Oscars host just two days after the Academy announced he would take on the gig over the comedian's old tweets with gay jokes.
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Although he initially refused to apologise, stressing that he had on multiple occasions addressed the past messages, he eventually gave in – but only after withdrawing from hosting the Academy Awards:
Earlier on the same day, Hart had posted an Instagram video from his tour of Australia to say that the Academy gave him an ultimatum: apologise for those old tweets to keep his job as host.
"The reason why I passed is because I've addressed this several times. I'm not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I've moved on and I'm in a completely different space in my life".
The tweets from between 2009 and 2011 that included derogatory language referring to gay people re-surfaced on the social media network shortly after the Academy chose Hart as Oscars host.
A video from a 2010 standup show in which the comedian joked about his fear that his three-year-old son would be gay was also unearthed.
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Some of his old tweets have since been removed.
The controversy has set off a massive landslide on social media, with some being seemingly happy with Hart's withdrawal from Oscars hosting…
…and pointed to the fact that he was hired and fired within hours:
Some were dumbstruck by the fact that someone had spent so much time to dig up Hart's old tweets and stop him from making his dream come true:
Others suggested that people had become extremely sensitive, and that the comedian shouldn’t have apologised for doing his job – making jokes:
The Academy hasn't commented on Hart's decision so far, and has yet to announce who will replace the comedian as the Oscars host.