With less than three months to the 2019 edition of The Academy Awards, the mother of all movie awards ceremony, the organizers are reportedly consider
With less than three months to the 2019 edition of The Academy Awards, the mother of all movie awards ceremony, the organizers are reportedly considering having a show that will have no host. This latest development comes up after comedian and actor, Kevin Hart abruptly pulled out of hosting the prestigious show. Old supposedly homophobic tweets of the 39 year old were dug up after The Academy announced him as the host of the ceremony.
A clip from Kevin Hart’s 2010 comedy special, Seriously Funny in which he spoke about fears his son would grow up being gay was also sent around. The father-of-three eventually addressed the outrage after The Academy asked him to either apologise or step down. They obviously didn’t expect he would step down from hosting as he not only apologized, he also announced he would step down as host in the process.
“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s. This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologise to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past. I’m sorry that I hurt people. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love and appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again,” Kevin Hart told fans on Instagram.
This isn’t the first time a celebrity announced to host the Oscars would step down from hosting duties. In 2011, Eddie Murphy stepped down as host in solidarity with Brett Ratner, the producer for the show. Rattner had resigned from the Oscars just months before the ceremony, after he publicly joked “rehearsal is for f*gs” at a film Q&A. Even though The Academy is desperately looking to find a suitable replacement, they’re reportedly considering a new angle, have the show go on but without a host.
Another option being explored is to tailor the show along the SNL style or perhaps pull a stunt like a group monologue. If The Academy succeeds to pull off a hostless show, it won’t be the first time the Oscars have gone host-less, though not since 1989 when Rain Man took home Best Picture. However, critics dubbed the ceremony that year as dull and cringeworthy. In 2011, the telecast deviated from the traditional single host, calling on actors James Franco and Anne Hathaway to co-host. The ill-conceived coupling was widely considered to be a trainwreck, with Franco later admitting he regretted it and felt trapped by the show.
Among those who have reportedly turned down next year’s job are Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Seinfeld and Justin Timberlake, according to New York Post. So far, Busy Phillips and Ricky Gervais have put their hands up to host.
