It has been 3 years since Hollywood’s most glamorous red-carpet event has had a host. According to ABC, however, the 94th annual Academy Awards set to air on March 27, 2022, will be a hosted event at long last. Despite not having an MC, the show has still managed to run smoothly thanks to an assortment of celebrity presenters. That said, there’s no denying that it is far more enjoyable with someone at the helm.
Why the sudden change in direction? The first year that the Oscars went without a host in 2019, was out of necessity as Kevin Hart was selected but gracefully bowed out just days before the event when his problematic past tweets resurfaced and overshadowed the event in controversy. With so little notice, the Academy did not have time to find a replacement. Ever since the 2019 awards went off without a hitch, the Academy has been riding that same wave.
Ever since the announcement of the Oscars’ plans to have a host, everyone has been speculating on whom the honor will go to. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy has reached out to Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland, who once expressed interest in the gig. Whoever the gig goes to they could surely take some tips from previous hosts. Here are the best Academy Awards hosts of all time.
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7 Bob Hope
ABC
The legendary comedian Bob Hope has been hosting the Oscars since before they were televised. Throughout his career he hosted—either alone or as part of a pair—a record 19 times, which is more than any other host to date. For a period, it was just assumed that Hope would host the event, and the Academy would only consider other options, if Hope had a conflict. The late Bob Hope hosted his first awards ceremony in the year 1940 which was the 12th Academy Awards. Due to his service to the Academy throughout the years, Hope was honored with 5 awards, one of which in 1965 was a Gold Medal for his “unique and distinguished service to our industry and the Academy.”
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Johnny Carson
AP
It’s no surprise the “King of Late Night” Johnny Carson was an exceptional presenter. Carson was able to leverage the rapport he already had with many celebrities to elevate his prowess as a host. Carson hosted the prestigious Academy Awards five times in total, four of which being in succession from 1979 to 1982, and then returning again in 1984.
5 Chris Rock
Provocative comedian Chris Rock hosted the Oscars in both 2005 and 2016, but his shining year was 2016. Amidst the #Oscarssowhite controversy Rock addressed the Academy’s lack of diversity head-on. His unflinching honesty was direct, poignant, but, more than anything else, justified, and it was refreshing to see the issue being addressed so candidly. In his opening speech, Rock stated “If they nominated host, I wouldn’t even get this job! You’d all be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now.”
4 Hugh Jackman
When Hugh Jackman was announced as the host for the 2009 Oscars, everyone had huge expectations for the talented renaissance man, and he did not disappoint. Jackman opened with a clever musical number incorporating the 5 nominees for Best Picture. Later on in the show, he paid homage to musicals of the past with help from Beyonce, Amanda Seyfried and Zac Efron. While not as quick-witted as some of his comedian counterparts, he more than made up for it through charm and enthusiasm.
3 Steve Martin
Steve Martin hosted the Oscar ceremonies twice solo and once as a duo coupled with Alec Baldwin. While Martin and Baldwin didn’t have a lot of chemistry as a pair, Martin was very successful when hosting on his own. His humor was kind-hearted and warm, even when he poked fun at others, and audiences seemed to genuinely like him. “Hosting the Oscars is like making love to a beautiful woman,” Steve Martin once remarked. “It’s something I only get to do when Billy Crystal’s out of town.”
2 Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg goes down in history as not only the first woman to ever host the Academy Awards solo, but also as the first Black woman to host in 1994. She was so well-received that she was offered the gig three more times: in 1996, 1999, and 2002. Goldberg had fantastic comedic timing and wasn’t afraid of making an entrance, whether descending from the ceiling or donning an elaborate Moulin Rouge costume. Goldberg has been widely regarded by audiences as one of the best hosts in Oscar’s history.
1 Billy Crystal
With his quick wit, impressive musical numbers, and comedic deliveries that perfectly balanced sarcasm with affection, Billy Crystal may be remembered as the best host of all time. Second only to Bob Hope in shows hosted, Crystal hosted 9nine times to Hopes’ nineteen. Crystal was such a successful emcee, that in 1991 he won an Emmy Award for hosting and writing material for the 63rd annual Academy Awards. Billy Crystal made an unforgettable entrance at the 1992 Oscars, when he was wheeled in for his monologue with a mask on emulating the infamous Hannibal Lecter.
