The 2019 Oscars became a hostless event after comedian and actor Kevin Hart was chosen to oversee the year’s biggest night for film only to withdraw two days later when controversial decade-old tweets surfaced and efforts to get him back failed. Since this all occurred relatively late in the game, the show was forced to go without a traditional host for the first time since the 1989 broadcast. The result turned out to be one that worked in their favor because the telecast saw an uptick in ratings and it wasn’t the disaster that many believed it would be. This could be the very reason why the Academy is eyeing going another year without a traditional host to move the show along.
The Academy is believed to be following a similar blueprint this year by going after top entertainers to give the show the burst of energy a good opening monologue by a host provides. An example of this would be during the 2019 telecast the show began with Queen medley and was then followed by a series of major stars and accomplished hosts, such as Tina Fey, Amy Poehler & Maya Rudolph, that got the show off with some memorable bits without hosting duties falling on just one person. The hope is that they can get strong presenters once again that can provide the necessary talent to do more than just present awards, which also allows the big “Oscar moments” to take center stage.
A lot of this comes down to how the search goes for some of the talent to fill this space. The show is still being mapped out and could very well change from what they’re trying to plan. Reportedly, The Academy doesn’t necessarily want to brand the telecast as “hostless.” While it may not have a traditional host like Jimmy Kimmel was in 2017 and 2018, the twist they’re working on would evolve the show from last year with a bigger presence by A-list entertainers. Nobody has been set yet, and no announcement is expected until after the holidays.
Last year’s ceremony, which was much more streamlined without a host, was 30 minutes shorter than the 2018 telecast and saw a 12% spike in total viewers year-to-year as well as a growth of 13% in the coveted 18-49 demo. The Primetime Emmy Awards followed suit with a similar format of not having a host but their ratings saw a new low for the telecast. There is no real science of how to do this right and maybe since the Oscars were coming off the media attention from hiring Hart then losing him, there could’ve been some curiosity to see how it would all turn out without a host to run the show. No matter what decision is made, ABC, which pays a lot of money to broadcast it until 2028, can give advice and make recommendations and I’m sure they will for the 2020 broadcast as it starts to take shape.
