Just last month, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences picked Kevin Hart to host the 91st Academy Awards, but controversy erupted almost immediately when Hart's past homophobic jokes and tweets surfaced, leading to the comedian stepping down just two days later. The Academy didn't seem to have any luck finding someone new to replace Kevin Hart, leading to speculation that the ceremony would move forward without a host for the first time in thirty years.
According to a new report from Variety, that's exactly what the Academy is planning to do. Barring any last-minute changes, sources have told Variety that the producers will instead roll out a group of A-listers who will introduce the various segments. The focus is said to be on "starry" skits which will embrace the theme of music in film thanks to blockbusters such as A STAR IS BORN and BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. Honestly, the thought of the Oscars moving forward without a host doesn't really bother me, but I'd imagine that the Academy fears a repeat of the infamous 1989 ceremony which opened with a lengthy and cringe-inducing musical number featuring Rob Lowe and Snow White. "Why not give it a shot? Things are so polarized anyway, any host that says anything will be analyzed to death," suggested media consultant Brad Adgate to Variety in regards to a host-less Oscars. "No host might be an experiment, and, let’s face it, the days of Bob Hope and Billy Crystal hosting are over."
The Academy was reportedly considering welcoming Kevin Hart back if he had expressed genuine remorse during his recent appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' talk-show to apologize, but that possibility went out the window when Hart instead painted the scandal as "a malicious attack on my character." They were also said to be "furious" that Ellen DeGeneres had "mischaracterized" her phone conversation with the Academy while lobbing for Hart's reinstatement, in which she implied that they wanted Kevin Hart back. During his appearance on Good Morning America earlier today, Kevin Hart expressed multiple times that he was "over it" and would not be hosting the Oscars this year. "It gets no more energy from me," Hart said. "That’s why I said, for the last time, I’m addressing this. There’s no more conversation about it. I’m over that, I’m over the moment, and I’m about today. If it’s accepted, great. If it’s not, it’s nothing that I can control. Some things are left out of your hands. So I’m done with it." As far as hosting the Oscars in the future, Hart said, "if it does [happen], it does, but it’s not the conversation of today." The 91st Academy Awards ceremony will be held on February 24, 2019.
What are your thoughts on the Academy Awards ceremony reportedly moving forward without a host?
