In the midst of awards season nomination news, I turned to a friend and exclaimed, “Who the fuck is hosting the Oscars? They usually announce it by now.” It’s true, they do. I believe the announcement that Jimmy Kimmel was re-hosting the 2018 Oscars came sometime in May 2017.
Well, it looks like The Academy has found their man. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Hart will be hosting the 91st Academy Awards ceremony.
“I appreciate @TheAcademy for the opportunity,” Hart wrote on Instagram, announcing the news on Tuesday evening. “For years I have been asked if I would ever Host the Oscars and my answer was always the same...I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it’s suppose to.”
Kevin Hart really doesn’t understand the concept of sitting the hell down somewhere—which is clearly working well for him, since he did just land a lot of comedians’ most-coveted gig.
Hart has publicly expressed his desire to host the biggest night in Hollywood, too.
“That would be a major accomplishment,” he said on the daytime show formerly known as Live With Kelly and Michael (now known as Live With Kelly and Ryan) back in 2015. “With what I’ve done and the progress I’ve made in my career, that’s definitely the next major step, I feel, for a comedian.”
Other than featuring the dynamic and diminutive comedic actor as a first-time host, the Academy Awards will be switching a few other things up. First off, they’ve promised to keep the telecast under three hours (we’ll see!), so they’ll be decreasing the amount of awards presented on television. Not all 24 categories will be presented live, and will instead be awarded during commercial breaks.
Hmm, I wonder if Hart will be handing out the awards, too. Or taking over as the actual Oscar statuette. Imagine a gold-dipped Kevin Hart. The opportunities are endless.
The 91st Academy Awards ceremony will air on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT and will be held at The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.