Everything that you just said--
I just have to say this.
Because we've talked right when this happened,
you called me right when it happened and said,
I'm going to talk to you about it.
I'm not going to say anything until I'm on your show.
And then we talked because I called you.
His movie is so amazing.
The Upside is so incredible.
Thank you.
He is so incredible.
I've seen it twice.
Anyway, so I called him to tell him how great his movie was.
Then we talked a little bit more.
So I called the Academy today.
Because I really want you to host the Oscars.
I think that I was so excited when
I heard that they asked you.
I thought it was an amazing thing.
I knew how important it was and how it was a dream.
So I called them.
I said Kevin's on.
I have no idea if he wants to come back and host.
But what are your thoughts?
And they were like, oh my god.
We want him to host.
We feel that maybe he misunderstood.
It was handled wrong, or maybe we said the wrong thing.
But we want him to host.
Whatever we can do, we would be thrilled.
And he should host the Oscars.
[APPLAUSE]
I mean, the Academy is saying, what
can we do to make this happen?
And I'm saying to you that as one of the smartest people
I know, one of the funniest people I know,
and when you see this movie, you see the talent,
and see his acting ability, and what the different layers
of Kevin Hart is.
And that's just another thing we're going to get to see.
We're going to get to see on stage with you hosting
the Oscars is sophistication, class, hilarity,
and you growing as a person.
Because most people would say, I'm walking away.
I'm not coming back because I'm going to go back and forth.
But for you to be the bigger man, for you to say,
I understand, and to not pay attention.
There are so many haters out there.
Whatever's going on on the internet,
don't pay attention to them.
That's a small group of people being very, very loud.
We are a huge group of people who love you and want
to see you host the Oscars.
[APPLAUSE]
Well, what I can say is this.
I can say that there's a flipside.
OK?
The flipside is to any attack, there's another side.
There's a B side.
There's always an A side, there's a B side.
On my side, openly, I say, I'm wrong for my past words.
I say it.
I said it.
I understand that.
I know that.
My kids know when their dad messes up.
I'm in front of it because I want
to be an example so they know what to do.
In this case, it's tough for me because it was an attack.
This wasn't an accident.
This wasn't a coincidence.
It wasn't a coincidence that the day
after I received the job, that tweets just somehow
manifested from 2008.
Now, I don't know who follows me or who doesn't.
I'm on social media everyday.
I've got over 40,000 tweets.
To go through 40,000 tweets to get back to 2008,
that's an attack.
That's a malicious attack on my character.
That's an attack to end me.
That's not an attack to just stop the Oscars.
This is what I want people to understand.
That's an attack to end me.
Now I'm not going to get too emotional.
But when you witness this, and you stand in front of it,
and you've heard, you've heard that these things exist.
I've heard about it.
I've never experienced it.
I've heard about it.
This is my first time in the fire.
I've seen it.
Oh my god.
This was to destroy me.
This was to end all partnerships, all brand
relationships, all investment opportunities, studio
relationships, my production company and the people
that work underneath me.
This was to damage the lives that had been invested in me.
It's bigger than just the Oscars.
It's about the individuals that are out
there now that are finding success and damage.
Defining success and damaging your, quote unquote, celebrity.
Now, if you go back, and I don't have a word
or if I don't have a bind, if I don't have anything
to stand on, I'm now going right back
into the place where the people that came after me
want me to go.
Somebody has to take a stand against the, quote unquote,
trolls.
You have to.
Right.
But they're going to win if you don't host the Oscars.
[APPLAUSE]
Then they win.
And so for you to stand up and say no, whoever
you are, and they do it--
and who knows who this person is, or people?
Who cares?
And you can't let them destroy you.
And they can't destroy you because you
have too much talent.
No one can do that.
And for them to stop you from your dream,
from what you wanted to do and what you have a right to do,
what you should be doing, it's why they
haven't found another host.
I think they were secretly hoping
that you would come back.
And I'm praying that this happens.
I think, as I said to you earlier,
I think it's perfect that all this happened.
Because there has to be a conversation about homophobia.
And whatever brought up, whatever they did,
and whoever's trying to hurt you,
it brought up you reminding people
that you're a bigger person, that you've already apologized.
You're apologizing again.
[APPLAUSE]
And so, I mean, as a gay person, as someone who actually--
What?
Yes.
[LAUGHTER]
I'm so sorry to break this to you.
What?
I know.
I didn't tell you before.
You didn't tell me at dinner?
No, I didn't want you to know.
I thought maybe he wouldn't like me.
[LAUGHTER]
I mean, really.
I am as sensitive to all of that.
And I talk to you about this.
And you've already expressed that it's not
being educated on the subject, not
realizing how dangerous those words are,
not realizing how many kids are killed for being gay
or beaten up everyday.
You have grown.
You have apologized.
You're apologizing again right now.
You've done it.
Don't let those people win.
Host the Oscars.
[APPLAUSE]
We have to take a break.
We'll be back.