They Definitely Wouldn’t Thank the Academy for This
Ever since Kevin Hart stepped down from his hosting position for this year’s Oscars, the Academy has been scrambling to find a plan B. Hart was initially pushed to back out following an uproar of controversy surrounding his past homophobic and problematic tweets and stand-up jokes that surfaced days after word broke that he would be hosting. The Academy immediately began looking for last minute replacements but a host-less show was seeming like the most feasible option. Hart appeared on “Ellen” last Friday and although the former Oscars host endorsed Hart for the position and urged him to take it back, he once again refused on account of a lack of preparation time and an overhanging fear of stealing the spotlight from the deserving and honoured guests. So basically we’re back to square one. Will there be a host? We aren’t certain, but we do know these 5 celebrities WON’T be volunteering any time soon and here’s why:
#5: Steve Harvey
In a recent article, Vanity Fair outlined the reasoning behind a few celebrities’ unwillingness to host the Oscars, one of which was Steve Harvey. The Academy might not support this “Family Feud” host, given his past of crowning the wrong contestant at Miss Universe 2015 and the Oscars’ own “La La Land”, “Moonlight” fiasco that they’d ideally avoid recreating, but it doesn’t matter because Harvey wants nothing to do with the gig. He stated, according to Vanity Fair, “I can’t host the Oscars. Hell, if they won’t let Kevin Hart host the Oscars, how the hell are they going to let me host the Oscars?†He continued with “I don’t want to host the Oscars because I don’t want them digging up my past.”
#4: Melissa McCarthy
Given her comedic background, working on films like “Bridesmaids” and stealing the spotlight during her many times hosting SNL, Melissa McCarthy would be a safe bet to keep the night light and entertaining during the Academy Awards. Her recent role in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a drama motion picture this year, would also solidify her chances and prove her versatility and ability to be both serious and funny. She was even the hero at this year’s Globes, handing out ham sandwiches to hungry celebrities during the ceremony. Unfortunately, she told Entertainment Tonight that she would just say weird or inappropriate things and therefore wouldn’t feel comfortable hosting.
#3: Sandra Bullock
She can manoeuvre her way through a post-apocalyptic world, dodge life-threatening creatures and search for sanctuary for herself and her children all while blind-folded, but host the Oscars? Never. According to People, in an interview with Today’s Hoda Kotb, Bullock opened up about the hosting position and expressed that “It’s a thankless job. No matter who does it. You get excited and then by the end they’re like, ‘It was long'”. “You’re meant to make fun of people. It’s always going to go long. Book the Oscars for four and a half hours and let it be. And if it ends early, fantastic, have a backup.” Needless to say this “Bird Box” star would rather opt out than set herself up for inevitable chaos.
#2: Oprah Winfrey
It’s clear that Oprah would be a safe pick as host. She dominated the television game with her talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that made history and stood as the backbone of her incredibly successful career, ranging from networks, to websites, to magazines and film work. Her acceptance speech for the Cecil B. de Mille Award at last year’s Golden Globes was also iconic and celebrated, leading us to expect nothing less from her in a hosting position. Well, the Academy’s dreams were crushed with one simple word: “No.” When confronted with the question of hosting the award show by TMZ earlier in December, Oprah’s answer was simple, to the point and straightforwardly demonstrated her complete lack of desire to host the Oscars. You get a host! You get a host! Everyone gets a host! But it’s not Oprah.
#1: Emily Blunt
2018 was a notable year for Emily Blunt, starring alongside her husband John Krasinski in the critically acclaimed and widely adored horror/thriller “A Quiet Place“, followed by her recent portrayal of the iconic Mary Poppins in “Mary Poppins Returns” for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy. Needless to say, this year brought Blunt and Krazinski into the spotlight more than ever, which sparked an interest in the two as co-hosts for the Academy Awards. Having two hosts always lends itself to a greater variety of entertainment and eases the pressure, not to mention the automatic appeal of it being these two, but that possibility has been shut down. “I would not [host the Oscars]. That would be the depths of hell for me,” she stated in Vanity Fair‘s article. She also recently spoke to ET And shared how her stomach literally turned at the mention of her even performing at the Oscars. No spoonful of sugar can sway her now.
So why all the refusal? Well, besides feeling like ‘Plan B’ after Kevin Hart, hosting seems to simply be a lose-lose situation. Weeks of dedicated rehearsal and prep time lead to insufficient pay and inevitable criticism. As previous host Seth MacFarlane puts it, “I’m trying to think of the last time that I read a review of the Oscars the next day where everyone is raving about it—it’s been a long time.†It’s as most a-list celebrities including Rob Lowe and even John Legend have put it: a thankless job.
Who do you think will host? Let us know in the comments and check out our picks below!
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