Yahoo Movies Who will host the 2022 Oscars?
It’s been a while since Hollywood’s biggest night had a host. The Oscars have been without an MC ever since Kevin Hart departed under a cloud ahead of the 2019 awards, but this year they’re shaking things up. The Academy confirmed earlier this week that this year’s show will indeed have a host but has not yet given any indication of who that might be.
Naturally, this development has set tongues wagging across Los Angeles, sparking feverish speculation that the Academy has only encouraged. On Wednesday, they teasingly tweeted: “Hypothetically, if we asked you who would you want to host the Oscars, and this is strictly hypothetical, who would it hypothetically be?” Popular suggestions included the Better Things actor Diedrich Bader, an idea submitted by Better Things actor Diedrich Bader.
While we can only applaud Bader’s chutzpah, the status of his job application sadly remains unknown. In the meantime, the rumour mill has continued to churn. Here’s our rundown of those most likely to be offered the gig:
Jimmyâ¯Kimmel
Who: Host of ABC’s late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as the host of the Oscars themselves in both 2017 and 2018.
Pros: A safe pair of hands – plus Jimmy Kimmel Live! is filmed just across the street from the Oscars, so he won’t have far to travel.
Cons: If the intention is to freshen up the show, bringing back Kimmel would look like a return to the past.
Host-with-the-Most Score: 2/5
Tiffany Haddish
Who: Wickedly outrageous stand-up and a genuine movie star in comedies like Girls Trip, Night School and Like a Boss. As it happens, this year’s Oscars broadcast is being put together by Girls Trip producer Will Packer, fuelling speculation she’ll be a frontrunner.
Pros: Stand-ups tend to fare better as hosts, but they need acting credibility. too. Haddish ticks both boxes. More importantly, she’s wildly funny and effortlessly charismatic – exactly the sort of talents you need in this often-thankless role.
Cons: Arguably too funny for the Oscars?
Host-with-the-Most Score: 5/5
Pete Davidson
Who: The current Mr Kim Kardashian is among the most desirable men on the planet – and the Academy seems to think so, too. US tabloid Page Six reported that Davidson’s people held “talks” with the Oscars about hosting this year’s ceremony. (A subsequent report by Variety called it “highly unlikely” that Davidson would land the gig.)
Pros: The breakout star of the current Saturday Night Live crop would bring an edgy sensibility to the often-stuffy awards show.
Cons: Will Hollywood’s A-List put up with taking shots about their acting skills from the star of The King of Staten Island?
Host-with-the-Most Score: 4/5
Tom Holland
Who: Spider-Man himself, or to give him his full name: Mr Zendaya.
Pros: He’s likeable, young and a literal Marvel superhero, not to mention half of an almost impossibly Hollywood adorable power couple. The Academy have reportedly already reached out to Holland after he commented in an interview: “What kind of f***ing idiot wouldn’t host the Oscars?” Clearly, he didn’t follow the Kevin Hart saga.
Cons: At just 25, might Holland lack the gravitas needed to hold court over the night’s assortment of A-Listers and egomaniacs?
Host-with-the-Most Score: 3/5
James Corden
Who: Adult theatre kid and host of CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Pros: Plenty of hosting experience, and likely to conceive and deliver some spectacular if ultimately self-aggrandising song-and-dance routine.
Cons: Many in the Academy are yet to forgive him for a) wearing a ridiculous cat costume alongside Rebel Wilson while presenting the Oscar for Visual Effects in 2020 b) appearing in Cats in the first place.
Host-with-the-Most Score: 1/5
Steve Martin and Martin Short
Who: Comedy legends who met on the set of 1985’s Three Amigos! and have remained friends ever since, recently scoring a hit with mystery series Only Murders in the Building.
Pros: The pair are a literal comedy double act (don’t miss their brilliant two-man show An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life on Netflix) and they already have some heavyweight backing. Judd Apatow has been lobbying for them on Twitter: “It would be pure joy and we need that.”
Cons: Martin has already hosted the Oscars three times, so perhaps he’s not the fresh new face the Academy is looking for.
Host-with-the-Most Score: 5/5
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
Who: Like Martin and Short, Fey and Poehler are comedy icons with a real-life friendship that comes across when they host, as they did for the Golden Globes between 2013 and 2015.
Pros: Hilarious, and would have great fun puncturing the self-serious air that can often overtake the Oscars.
Cons: If you’re trying to make your awards show seem fun, fresh and exciting, you probably don’t want to hire anybody associated with the Golden Globes.
Host-with-the-Most Score: 4/5
James Franco and Anne Hathaway
Who: Actors who had never previously worked together before co-hosting the 2011 awards show, now widely referred to as “the worst Oscars in history”.
Pros: Everyone deserves a second chance?
Cons: They definitely do not deserve a second chance.
Host-with-the-Most Score: 0/5
Meg Stalter
Who: Comedian who enjoyed viral social media success before becoming one of the breakout stars of acclaimed comedy Hacks.
Pros: Makes her own case convincingly in a delightful skit where she plays her own agent: “She’s like… half Emma Stone, half a mother who’s had enough.”
Cons: None.
Host-with-the-Most Score: 5/5
