The Oscars is officially host-less.
For the first time in decades, Hollywood’s biggest night will have no official presenter, a publicist with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed to Fox News on Monday night.
Actor and comedian Kevin Hart was announced in December as the host of 91st Academy Awards, but stepped down after homophobic tweets and comments he made in the past resurfaced online.
Hart initially said he wouldn’t step down from his role and claimed that the controversy stemmed from people “looking for reasons to be negative” and “angry.” The “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” star later announced he would not be hosting the show.
“I’m sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again,” Hart tweeted in December.
The Academy announced earlier Monday the various big-name presenters who will appear at the show. Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Brie Larson, Daniel Craig and Jennifer Lopez are among the 13 stars who will present.
Chris Evans, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Charlize Theron, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tessa Thompson and Constance Wu will also take the Oscar stage as presenters.
There has been some acrimony over exclusive rights to some presenters this year. The Screen Actors Guild earlier criticized the film academy for requiring that its potential presenters not appear at previous awards shows.
Thirty years ago, in 1989, was the last time the Oscar went host-less. The show was so poorly received that 17 big names in Hollywood, including Julie Andrews and Paul Newman, sent a letter to the academy trashing the show, which, instead of opening with a host, started with an 11-minute musical segment.
Among the lowlights: a duet featuring Rob Lowe and an actress playing Snow White.
“The 61st Academy Awards show was an embarrassment to both the Academy and the entire motion picture industry,” the letter stated, according to History.com. “It is neither fitting nor acceptable that the best work in motion pictures be acknowledged in such a demeaning fashion.”
