Late last year, Kevin Hart vocalized his thought process surrounding accepting, and later rejecting, the opportunity to host the upcoming Oscars. Now, hours after reaffirming his stance during a new appearance on Variety‘s “Playback” podcast, the comedian is now reconsidering his perspective.

During an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which was broadcasted on Friday (Jan. 4), the talk show host offers a lengthy defense of Hart. DeGeneres also explains on air that she called an unidentified person at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to reinstate Hart as host.

As previously reported, the comedian turned down the opportunity to host the Academy’s annual awards show due to the resurfacing of past homophobic tweets and subsequent backlash by refusing to repeatedly apologize for the commentary since he has already done so in years past.

“I called the Academy today because I really want you to host the Oscars,” DeGeneres told Hart during the aired segment. “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 said, ‘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 like that maybe he misunderstood or it was handled wrong or maybe we said the wrong thing. But, we want him to host.’”

According to DeGeneres, “The Academy is saying, ‘What can we do to make this happen?’”

During the show, Hart responded to DeGeneres’ gesture, “This is a conversation I needed to have. I’m glad that I had it here and I’m glad that it was as authentic and real as I could have hoped that it would be. So, let me assess, just to sit in this space and really think, and you and I will talk before anything else.”

Elsewhere during the conversation, Hart explained how he didn’t want his hosting role to turn into an “apology tour.”

“You’re living in a time where words and point of views can be misconstrued because of how strong the internet is,” he continued. “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.’ The word, again, somehow got lost, which is a major word. I’ve addressed this several times. I apologized and after apologizing. I said I understand why people would be upset from these tweets, why people would be hurt, why people would be damaged. You know what? I get it. Not only am I sorry, I’m going to make it a point to never joke like this again.”

However, earlier in the day, during the podcast interview with Variety, Hart claimed he was “done” entertaining the idea.

“Would I ever do it? No, it’s done. It’s done,” he said during the podcast, reflecting on the experience. “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 backward. There’s no ill will toward the Academy.”

While it’s unclear if Hart will return as Oscars host, the comedian did use his time on DeGeneres’ show to once again apologize for his past homophobic tweets.

Take a look at footage of the conversation between Kevin Hart and Ellen DeGeneres in the clips below.