John Legend won't rule out Oscars hosting gig

Published Dec 18, 2018

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John Legend says he hasn't ruled out hosting the Oscars after Kevin Hart stepped down but admits he does see it as a "thankless job".

The 'All Of Me' hitmaker thinks the role as host of the awards ceremony - which will take place in the United States in February 2019 - is a "thankless job" but he hasn't completely ruled out taking on the hosting duties if he was offered it.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I feel like it's a thankless job. Nobody really wins from hosting the Oscars. It doesn't really end up great for anybody. I'm not saying we're ruling it out."

Kevin Hart was supposed to host the Academy Awards in 2019 but stepped down following the emergence of past homophobic tweets, and he has said sorry to the LGBTQ community for his previous "insensitive words".

He tweeted: "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.

"I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again. (sic)"

Kevin addressed his previous offensive tweets - some of which used the word "gay" as an insult, and all of which have now been deleted - by sharing a video, and insisted he only tries to "spread positivity" nowadays.

Speaking on the Instagram video, he said: "I swear man our world is becoming beyond crazy. I'm not going to let the craziness frustrate me or anger me especially when I worked hard to get to the mental space that I am at now.

"My team calls me, 'Oh my God, Kevin, the world is upset about tweets you did years ago.' Oh my God. Guys, I'm almost 40 years old. If you don't believe that people grow, change, evolve as they get older, I don't know what to tell you.

"If you want to hold people in a position where they always have to justify or explain their past - then do you. I'm the wrong guy, man. I'm in a great place, a great mature place where all I do is spread positivity. If you're not doing that, you're not on my page."

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