5 reasons Hart is an obvious choice for Oscars host — and the one he isn’t
SINCE at least 2015, Kevin Hart has been letting the universe know that he really wanted to host the Oscars.
“I would just jump at the opportunity” he told the Los Angeles Times.
The following year, he told the New York Times he believed his moment would happen “sooner than later.”
Two years later, it has. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday that Hart will host the 91st Oscars ceremony on Feb 24. The announcement prompted praise from past hosts of the annual telecast.
Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted last year’s ceremony, tweeted that the Academy “made an excellent choice” and said Hart would “kill it” as host. Chris Rock echoed a joke from his 2016 Oscars monologue: “Damn I’ve lost another Job to Kevin Hart,” he wrote on Instagram. “They got the best person for the job.”
Are they right? Here are five reasons Hart is an obvious choice for the gig — and one reason he isn’t. 1. He has name recognition. As a comedian, Hart has sold out huge arenas, including Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, his hometown football stadium, which houses more than 69,000 seats. In 2016, he topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid comedians.
He’s also a huge box office draw, which dates back to his early stand-up tour films including 2011's “Laugh at my Pain,” which debuted in the Top 10 the week of its release. Starring roles in the “Think Like a Man” franchise and comedies including “About Last Night,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and the recent “Night School,” co-starring Tiffany Haddish, have made Hart a household name. 2. He (really!) wants the job. Hours before the academy announced that Hart would host next year’s ceremony, the Hollywood Reporter published an article about the perpetual struggle to land a host for the telecast, which has struggled in recent years to combat declining ratings.
According to THR, a host of notables — including Oprah Winfrey, Justin Timberlake, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld — have declined invitations to host the ceremony.
Writer Stephen Galloway described the Oscar host’s daunting task of appealing to multiple interests:
Hart’s name actually came up in the piece, which noted that the comedian “is funny without being tasteless.” By Monday night, it was announced that Hart had earned the gig. In an Instagram post, the comedian called it “the opportunity of a lifetime.” “I am blown away simply because
Damn I’ve lost another Job to Kevin Hart.They got the best person for the job. Chris Rock, 2016 Oscars host
this has been a goal on my list for a long time,” he added. 3. He has experience hosting major awards shows. Hart’s comedy is known for its energy, which makes him a go-to host for Hollywood award ceremonies that can lag beyond their prime. His past credits have included the 2011 BET Awards and multiple MTV Video Music Awards ceremonies, starting with the 2012 VMAs. He teamed up with Haddish to co-host this year’s ceremony, where he compared the edgy event (and the tweets it inspires) to “a typical day at the White House.” “In your face, Trump — suck it!” he added. 4. Hollywood loves him. Hart will be playing to a friendly crowd at the Dolby Theatre in February. He memorably parodied his reputation as one of the acting industry’s most gregarious members in “Real House Husbands of Hollywood,” which followed Hart as he navigated Los Angeles’ elite social circles with famous friends including Nick Cannon, Duane Martin and J.B. Smoove. But Hart’s celebrity network goes far beyond the BET comedy. VH1 once called him the “Taylor Swift of Male Celebrities,” a title it supported with photos of Hart hanging out with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Drake, Taraji P. Henson, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Idris Elba and, well, you get the picture. 5. He’s a fresh face. In recent years, many hosts of the Oscars ceremony — including Kimmel, Rock and Ellen DeGeneres, who hosted in 2007 and again in 2014 — have been repeat choices. — WP-Bloomberg