Kevin Host is officially set to host the 91st Academy Awards ceremony. “I will be sure to make this years Oscars a special one,” the comedian wrote in an Instagram post, adding, “now it’s time to rise to the occasion.”
The star is emceeing the event for the first time. First-time producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss will oversee the show, with Gigliotti serving as producer and Weiss on hand as co-producer and director.
So there you have it. Kevin Hart is your 2019 Academy Awards host. He follows after two years of Jimmy Kimmel-hosted ceremonies. Kimmel was a fine host both years, but each time the Academy saw the ratings drop, culminating in their lowest ever viewership in 2018, with 26.5 million viewers tuning in.
Hart does come in with a little bit of hosting experience. Along with Dwayne Johnson, he hosted the 2016 MTV Movie Awards. Not quite on the same scale as the Oscars, but at least he won’t be coming in completely green. And Hart has been vocal about his desire to host this particular event. That long held desire should lead to him taking this very seriously and putting it in the proper effort to make the night as successful as possible.
Those positives aside, there are a couple caveats that come with Hart as host. He had a small public snafu just about a year ago now, when it came out that he had cheated on his wife while she was pregnant with their son Kenzo. That hasn’t been talked about much since its immediate aftermath. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see some of Hart’s critics bring that up again in complaints about this choice.
Then there is Hart’s comedic style. He’s certainly not everyone (but then again, who is?). And he has seemingly been everywhere the last few years. There’s a feeling of over-exposure that has been following him around. Those who aren’t necessarily fans of his likely won’t be thrilled to see him on such a big stage. However, there’s no denying he has a rare energy that he brings to all his stand up routines and film and TV roles. If he can bring that same energy to the Oscars, it will be a breath of fresh air that the Academy desperately needs.
The 91st Academy Awards airs on February 24, 2019.
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