Kevin Hart had said he would never host the Oscars before appearance on Ellen DeGeneres show

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart, who  abruptly withdrew from hosting the Oscars  in December amid flack for past homophobic and anti-gay tweets spoke about the same in an interaction with Variety for its Playback podcast.

“Would I ever do it? No, it’s done. It’s done. The moment came and it was a blessing and I was excited at the opportunity and I still am. In my mind I got the job, it was a dream job, and things came up that simply prohibited it from happening. But I don’t believe in going backwards.”

Hart had insisted that the opportunity for him to be on the Oscars’ was now long gone. He said that if he went on that stage, it would be because he somehow managed to win an Academy award. He added that there was no ill will toward the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

He also slammed people who looked up his old tweets, calling them “trolls,” who refused to accept that he had grown and changed as a person. “You’re living in times where words and points of view can be misconstrued because of how strong the internet is. The manipulation of headlines is what was amazing when this whole thing hit. It was, ‘Kevin Hart steps down because he refuses to apologize for homophobic tweets.’ This was what was said and it was blasted all over the internet, and the word ‘again’ somehow got lost, which was a major word. I’ve addressed this several times,” he said.

However, on the same day, in an appearance on Ellen Degeneres’ talk show, the actor-comedian said he is is re-evaluating if he should take up the job after an “ incredible and honest conversation .”