Kevin Hart Isn’t Opposed to Hosting the 2020 Oscars After Last Year’s Drama

Kevin Hart wants to let bygones be bygones.

At the Jumanji: The Next Level premiere on Monday night, the comedian revealed that despite his 2019 Oscars controversy, he is open to the possibility of hosting the 2020 Oscars, should the Academy ask him again.

With Dwayne Johnson by his side, Hart humbly told Variety he would be down to co-host the ceremony with his fellow Jumanji star. “Hey look, I have nothing but love for the Academy,” he said. “I always will. I think that, you know, any conversation is always a good conversation. So, TBD. To be determined.”

At one point during Hart’s answer, Johnson chimed in, “Get the tequila ready.”

Fans of film’s biggest night will recall that Hart was originally slated to host the 2019 Oscars—a dream come true, as the actor said at the time. When past homophobic tweets later surfaced, however, people on social media were calling for the Oscars to remove him as host and for the star to apologize for the offensive remarks.

The 40-year-old appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and said he was upset about being given the ultimatum to either apologize or lose the hosting gig. He told Ellen DeGeneres that he wouldn’t say sorry for the tweets he claimed to had already apologized for years ago. Following more backlash, Hart voluntarily stepped down as the host. The award ceremony opted not to replace him and go on without one.

As the star said in a tweet announcing his departure, “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.”

Hart has had an intense year in the time since. In September, he was involved in a nearly fatal car accident that he claimed changed his entire outlook on life. His upcoming Netflix series Don’t F*#k This Up, out Dec. 27, will document the events of the past year and a half of his life, from the Oscars drama all the way through his car accident.

Perhaps it’s this new outlook at life that has the father of three focused on evolving through past drama. Only time will tell if the Oscars take his offer of a dialogue to heart.