Oscars Reportedly Going Without A Host For First Time In 30 Years, Per ‘Variety’
After the controversy surrounding comedian Kevin Hart over some of his old social media posts led him to pull out of his gig hosting the Oscars, it appears there will be no replacement for the role, meaning the ceremony will go without a host for the first time in 30 years, Variety reported.
According to sources familiar with the situation, no new offers have been made to fill the void left by Hart, who dropped out within hours of being selected for the position. Instead, producers for the 91st Annual Academy Awards will instead select “a crop of A-listers” to introduce various segments of the show rather than relying on “one marquee name to kick things off in a monologue filled with Trump zingers.”
With the Oscars only six weeks away from airing live on February 24, the insiders said that now the producers and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences are “scrambling” to put together a lineup for the event.
According to one individual involved with the show, producers are now shifting their focus to “starry skits” as well as highlighting the “high-profile year” music has played among this year’s top films, such as Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born.
No #Oscars host, no problem? https://t.co/Fg9UteYhGF
— E! News (@enews) January 10, 2019
Until this morning, it was up in the air as to whether or not Hart would end up taking on the role again. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the comedian recently appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show where he spoke about the controversy surrounding the resurfacing of old tweets that contained anti-gay jokes.
During the segment, Ellen revealed that she still wanted Kevin to hold onto the gig and had even gone as far as contacting the Academy to lobby for him to get the job.
“They were like ‘Oh my God, we want him to host…Whatever we can do, we would be thrilled,'” she said of the phone call.
And while Hart left the show saying their conversation left him with a lot to consider, sources told Variety that the idea that Hart may be brought back is “100% dead.”
Hart echoed the sentiment during an appearance on Good Morning America on Wednesday, January 9.
"Why do you have to prove that you are a loving individual?… [I] shouldn't have to justify that. That's the position I am in."@KevinHart4real responds to backlash over controversial tweets and jokes of his past: https://t.co/W1vUNMab63 pic.twitter.com/CrXfC6qXNU
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 9, 2019
“I’m not hosting the Oscars this year,” he told host Michael Strahan, explaining that he wouldn’t have enough time to work on it before it airs in February.
“I want everybody to know I’m done with it. It’s a choice that I’ve personally made to say I’m not addressing it anymore,” he said.
