With Kevin Hart out of the picture to host the Oscars, the Fiji Water girl from the Golden Globes reportedly joked that she’d be willing to fill in.
So sorry to disappoint.
For only the second time in its history, the awards show won’t have a host. Instead, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which issues the awards, will go with different celebrities introducing each segment.
The move came after Hart won and lost the hosting job last month within a 26-hour span as homophobic tweets from 2010 and 2011 resurfaced.
Comedian and a former Oscars host Ellen Degeneres had Hart on her show and pleaded with him to reconsider, saying the Academy wanted him back. But as Variety reported, he said no.
This does leave the Academy in a pickle. Barring a sudden last-minute switch surprise, it has to find a number of A-listers who are willing to pitch in at the last minute. And coordinating those schedules, and the time for rehearsals, will be tricky.
The last time the Oscars went without a host was in 1989. Instead of an opening monologue, there was a big musical number and an infamous Rob Lowe version of “Proud Mary.” There also have been times when multiple celebrities shared the hosting duties.
The silver lining is that the show is likely to be significantly shorter, which could be a bigger draw than the new (and now defunct) Oscar for popular film. Last year, the show hit a record low for viewers.
