Adults were split on whether the Academy’s reported move was the right one: Thirty-six percent said it should have pressured the comedian, while 34 percent disagreed.
Despite this, a 44 percent plurality said Hart made the right decision to step aside, while 26 percent of the 2,202 U.S. adults surveyed said he shouldn’t have pulled out. The Dec. 7-10 poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
A 41 percent plurality said that the incident hasn’t shifted their opinion of Hart. While 29 percent of U.S. adults said the kerfuffle soured them on the entertainer, a roughly similar share (26 percent) said the same of the Academy.
In September, Hart ranked 23rd on Morning Consult’s most-loved entertainer list, with a net favorability of 47 points. He was the ninth most-loved among millennials, with a 63-point net favorability.
Hart is a highly sought-after figure in the entertainment industry, with dozens of producer and writer credits to his name and five confirmed headlining films in the works, according to IMDb.
Although the news about the Hart’s withdrawal as Oscar host made waves in the entertainment industry, just 15 percent of the public said they had heard “a lot” about the news, and 9 percent said they had heard “a lot” about the controversial tweets.
Hart kept his fans up to date on developments in the controversy via Instagram, posting two selfie videos.
The second video, in which Hart says the Academy gave him an ultimatum to apologize or step aside, may have helped bring some of the public to his side: A 42 percent plurality said they had a more favorable view of the star after viewing it. Meanwhile, 30 percent said they had a more unfavorable view of the Academy post-viewing, but a plurality of 38 percent said their opinion didn’t change.
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