Nick Cannon supports Kevin Hart for not letting Oscars subjugate him

American rapper Nick Cannon is all praises for American comedian-actor Kevin Hart after he has stepped down as the 2019 Academy Awards host following an outrage over his homophobic tweets dating back to 2009.

In a conversation with TMZ, the 'Wild n Out' rapper addressed his comments about others who used the f-word and suffered no real consequences, in particular, Sarah Silverman, Amy Schumer, and Chelsea Handler.

He said, "It's clear evidence of a double standard."

The abrupt move came amid an ongoing controversy after Hart's old tweets surfaced online in which he had expressed anti-gay sentiments and used homophobic terminology.

Hart also posted a video on his official Instagram account saying that he had refused a demand from the Academy to apologise for his old tweets.

"So I just got a call from The Academy. That call basically said, 'Kevin, apologize for your tweets or we're going to have to move on and find another host. I passed," Hart said in the video.

"The reason that I passed is I've addressed it several times. That's not the first time this has come up. I've addressed it. I've spoken on it. I've said where the rights and wrongs were. I've said who I am now versus who I was then. I've done it. I'm not gonna continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I've moved on. I'm in a completely different space in my life," he further added.

The controversial tweets included a 2011 tweet in which the comedian and movie star had written, "Yo if my son comes home & try's 2 play with my daughter's doll house I'm going 2 breaks it over his head & say n my voice 'stop that's gay."

In another tweet from 2010, Hart says someone's profile pic looks "like a gay bill board for AIDS." In another written in 2009, he called someone a "fat faced fag.