Entertainment
Whoopi! Neil! A Roundup of the Best Oscars Hosts Over the Years
After having no host for the past three years of Oscars, the 94th Oscars ceremony was a change to say the very least. Comedians Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer, and award-winning actress, Regina Hall, hosted the 2022 Oscars, marking the first time in history that three women emceed the event. “We want people to have a good time,” the three hosts said in a joint statement ahead of the show. “It’s been a while.”
Although the trio did an amazing job steering the evening, the 94th Oscars ceremony was literally brought to standstill when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the face after he made a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith‘s expense. Wanda, Amy and Regina did their best to keep the night running smoothly after the shocking turn of events, but it wasn’t easy.
In an appearance on Live! With Kelly and Ryan after the jaw-dropping show, Wanda answered Ryan Seacrest‘s query about ever hosting the event again with a blunt, “Oh hell no,” before adding, “I shouldn’t say it like that. You know what, it was an amazing honor and I think it’s something that you want to do. You do it once… I don’t know if I would want to do it again.”
The Academy Awards first went hostless in response to the scandal surrounding comedian Kevin Hart. After the Ride Along actor was initially asked to host in 2019, homophobic tweets he wrote in the past surfaced, and he stepped down from the leading gig. At the time, Us Weekly reported it was the first time the Oscars would operate without a host guiding the event since March of 1989.
For what it’s worth, the 2019 show pretty much went off without a hitch. This led producers to decide that it was the right choice for the following years.
But it hasn’t been all bad when it comes to Oscars hosts. In fact, a few people have been pretty memorable! We decided to take a look back at some of the best hosts over the years.
Take a look at our gallery below to see who we picked as the best Oscars hosts, in no particular order.
