Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the two most up-to-date Academy Awards ceremonies and two others earlier than them (2017 and 2018), and John Mulaney, the host of the most up-to-date Academy Governors Awards ceremony, have withdrawn themselves from consideration for the job of emceeing the 97th Oscars on March 2, 2025. That, in fact, begs the query: who will the Academy, its Oscars telecast producers (prone to be the identical staff that oversaw the well-received 2024 ceremony, minus Kimmel’s spouse) and its broadcasting associate ABC land for the gig — if anybody? (They went with out a host in 2019, 2020 and 2021.)
The Academy and ABC, being risk-averse, will usually re-approach individuals who have hosted earlier than, however most who hosted in recent times are by no means going to be invited again. Neglect about James Franco and Anne Hathaway, who hosted collectively in 2011, and Neil Patrick Harris, who had the job in 2015 — all of them bombed. Many discovered the 2013 host, Seth MacFarlane, too undignified (see: his “We Saw Your Boobs” track). And the present helmed by Regina Corridor, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes was usually thought to be unspectacular.
Ellen DeGeneres was nicely acquired when she hosted in 2007 and 2014, however her public picture has since taken a beating — even she refers to herself as having been “kicked out of show business.” Alec Baldwin, who co-hosted in 2010, grew to become politically polarizing by mocking Donald Trump on Saturday Night time Reside, after which was caught up in the Rust tragedy. And Billy Crystal, who hosted 9 instances between 1990 and 2012, and Whoopi Goldberg, who hosted in 1999 and 2002, at the moment are 76 and 68, respectively, and wouldn’t assist the Academy and ABC of their efforts to draw youthful viewers to the telecast.
4 previous hosts, nonetheless, could stay viable.
At 78, comedy legend Steve Martin — who hosted in 2001, 2003 and, with Baldwin, 2010 — is now too outdated to be focused by the Academy as a solo host. But when the Academy and ABC might persuade his longtime comedy associate Martin Quick, 74, and their 32-year-old Solely Murders in the Constructing co-star Selena Gomez, a millennial and Gen-Z darling, to host collectively, that may be a big coup. (Two issues value noting: ABC and Solely Murders streamer Hulu share a guardian firm in Disney; and Gomez is a star of one in all this yr’s prime Oscar contenders, Emilia Pérez.)
Jon Stewart, who hosted in 2006 and 2008, will surely be a “get,” and he in all probability has extra time on his palms than he has had at some other level in a few years, provided that he now solely hosts The Every day Present one night time a week. That mentioned, he’s politically outspoken, which can give the Academy and ABC pause as they make each effort to maintain politics out of the Oscars ceremony, having seen plain proof in monitoring information that it impacts viewership.
Chris Rock, who hosted in 2005 and 2016, is as in style as ever, and it might be a huge deal to get him to return to the Oscars for the first time since he was shockingly slapped by Will Smith whereas presenting an award in 2022. That mentioned, when he beforehand hosted the present he offended a lot of individuals with a skit that includes Asian youngsters, for which the Academy — however not Rock — in the end felt compelled to apologize. I believe that many, together with Janet Yang, the Academy’s first president of Asian descent, may wish to go in one other path.
Then, there’s Hugh Jackman, who hosted the tremendously acclaimed 2009 ceremony — he sang, he danced and he even obtained Beyoncé to carry out with him — and who occurs to be one in all the two stars of the largest blockbuster of this yr, Deadpool & Wolverine. Heck, I might even see Wolverine (Jackman) enlisting Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds, Jackman’s shut buddy) to share the gig with him.
My sense is that the Academy doesn’t really feel that it wants a comic to function host, simply a acquainted face — or two — who’re well-liked, seen as cheerleaders of the trade and might help to maneuver issues alongside. That would appear to bode nicely for Jackman, who nearly everybody agrees is a nice (some would say the best!) showman, as was additionally evident when he hosted the Tony Awards in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2014.
Different choices alongside these traces embrace Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who has by no means shied away from the limelight; Glen Powell, the breakthrough star of the yr and somebody who will surely draw younger individuals to the telecast; John Legend, presumably together with his spouse Chrissy Teigen; Emily Blunt, presumably together with her The Fall Man co-star Ryan Gosling (they had been nice collectively as co-presenters at the ceremony earlier this yr); and Tom Hanks, who has served on the Academy’s board of governors, stays very concerned with its museum and would in all probability assist it out if it actually finds itself in a bind.
If the Academy and ABC do find yourself sticking with a comic, they might go to former late night time host and present podcaster and journey present host Conan O’Brien, who looks as if a fairly unobjectionable alternative; Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig, separate or collectively, who had been a hit once they co-presented on the 2020 present; Chelsea Handler, who has honed her internet hosting abilities whereas emceeing the lower-stakes Critics Selection Awards in 2023 and 2024; Ali Wong and/or Invoice Hader, two halves of a very humorous couple; or Tiffany Haddish, though she has grow to be a bit controversial.
I might not anticipate ABC to log off on anybody who competes in the late night time area with Kimmel (that guidelines out NBC’s Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, CBS’s Stephen Colbert, and HBO’s John Oliver and Invoice Maher) or actually anybody from a rival community (together with NBC’s Michael Che or Colin Jost, the latter of whom hosted the White Home Correspondents Affiliation dinner in April).
Trevor Noah is now out of the late night time sport and would in all probability do a fantastic job, however he has grow to be the Grammys’ go-to man (he’s anchored their final 4 telecasts), so it appears unlikely he’d be requested to additionally tackle one other of the EGOT-level award reveals.
As a lot as followers may prefer to see what Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle would do as host, the Academy and ABC would virtually definitely keep away from them like the plague, given how anarchic and unpredictable they each are.
Lastly, until they’ve had a main change of coronary heart, you possibly can depend out a handful of high-profile people who may look like good internet hosting candidates, however who’ve been requested — in a number of circumstances by me — and explicitly acknowledged that, for one motive or one other, they’ll by no means take the job: Justin Timberlake, Melissa McCarthy, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Krasinski, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
A possible wild card: Kevin Hart, one in all the hottest comedians and film stars in the sport at this time, who as soon as mentioned that it was his dream to host the Oscars and was all set to take action at the 2019 ceremony earlier than withdrawing after outdated tweets of his sparked controversy. Hart, who has expressed remorse about these tweets and stays a fan favourite, mentioned in January that he would by no means host the Oscars or any awards present, describing them as “very cold” and never “comedy-friendly environments.” However in Might, he hosted Netflix’s roast of Tom Brady, which isn’t a completely totally different kind of task, and it proved a huge hit on the service and went on to be nominated for an Emmy. So maybe Hart — who one other previous Oscars host, David Letterman (1995), instructed me can be “a genius choice” — will rethink!
