UPDATE (12/7/18): Just a couple of days after news originally broke, would-be Oscar host Kevin Hart has announced he’s resigning from the gig. This comes after critics pointed out past tweets and comments from the comic that used homophobic slurs.
- Originally, the comedian posted an Instagram video in which he claimed the Academy demanded that he apologize for the tweets.
- In the clip, Hart said he would decline to do, saying he had already addressed this issue in the past.
- He also suggested that those looking into his old tweets should do something more positive with their time.
- However, in a series of tweets a short time later, Hart did apologize for this “insensitive words” from his past and said he was stepping down as to not be “a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists.”
Previously:
After a longer than normal search, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has named Kevin Hart the host for the 2019 broadcast. Much speculation has been circulating regarding who would anchor the show after Jimmy Kimmel said he did not intend to return for a third year.
Hart takes the helm of the broadcast as the Academy promises significant changes in an effort to reverse the decline of viewers that reached a recent low last year. Producers said they will present certain awards in unique ways as well as bring the show in at three hours. It is unknown what impact these changes will have to the host role.
The Oscars will air February 24 on ABC.
Oscar Hosts of the Recent Past:
- Billy Crystal (1989-92, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2011)
- Whoopi Goldberg (1993, 1995, 1998, 2001)
- David Letterman (1994)
- Steve Martin (2000, 2002, 2009)
- Chris Rock (2003, 2015)
- Jon Stewart (2007)
- Hugh Jackman (2008)
- Alec Baldwin (2009)
- James Franco & Anne Hathaway (2010)
- Seth MacFarlane (2012)
- Ellen DeGeneres (2013)
- Neil Patrick Harris (2014)
- Jimmy Kimmel (2016 & 2017)