The Academy Awards Will Air with No Host This Year

The Academy Awards will reportedly air this year without a host — and it will be the first time the awards ceremony will air without a host in nearly three decades, according to Variety.

Comedian Kevin Hart was set to host the event recently, but he backed out online backlash erupted over years-old jokes he told that some people deemed homophobic.

Hart had already apologized for the jokes, but said he would not continue to apologize for them.

He instead chose to move on.

There was a glimmer of hope when Hart sat down for an interview with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

DeGeneres told Hart she’d spoken with the producers of the Oscars and they wanted the comedian back. Hart said he’d reconsider his decision, only to double down later on turning away from the gig.

“Would I ever do it? No, it’s done. It’s done,” Hart told Variety. “The moment came and it was a blessing and I was excited at the opportunity and I still am. In my mind I got the job, it was a dream job, and things came up that simply prohibited it from happening. But I don’t believe in going backward.”

Hosting the Oscars was once a great honor for a comedian. Everyone from Seth MacFarlane to Bill Crystal to Jon Stewart has hosted the event, but rumors circulated this year that producers behind the event struggled to find someone willing to take the job.

It’s understandable why no one would want the gig these days. No one wants to be put under the microscope the way Hart was.

To make up for the lack of a proper host, the Academy Awards will have major stars introduce various segments of the show throughout the night.

The actual stars have yet to be announced.

“It’s a tough gig to fill these days. There’s a lot of eyeballs on it, so everybody is going to have an opinion,” “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane recently told USA Today about the PC police going after Oscar hosts.

“The interesting thing about the Oscars is it’s an easy thing to be angry with. All it requires you to do is look at the screen and be angry and tweet or blog, so it’s an an easy target in a lot of ways.:

“There’s a reason people are saying no [to hosting], and it’s that there’s a lot of focus on it … There’s a real push to try and update [the ceremony] and make it more dynamic and friendly to an audience that’s used to many different types of media. But at the same time, you are locked into this very classic format of the awards show.”

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