Getty Preparations for the 91st Oscars red carpet are underway on Hollywood Boulevard, February 22, 2019 in Hollywood, California. - The Academy Awards will be held February 24 2019 at the Dolby Theatre.
Who are the Oscars red carpet hosts this year? Before the ceremony starts, hosts Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic will be talking to the biggest movie stars attending the 2019 Oscars during E!’s Live From the Red Carpet: The 2019 Oscars special, which starts at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
Who is actually hosting the Oscars is a different story entirely. For the first time in 30 years, the Academy Awards will be held without a host, according to CBS News. Kevin Hart was originally asked to be the show’s host but stepped down after homophobic comments he made 10 years ago resurfaced, CBS News reports.
The comment Hart made can be read in the tweet above, and involves Hart relaying his fear of his son growing up and coming out as gay. “That’s a fear. Keep in mind, I’m not homophobic … be happy. Do what you do,” he said during his 2010 movie Seriously Funny. “But me, as a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.”
Hart stepped down from the role after he received widespread backlash on social media when the comments resurfaced. He initially refused to apologize, but eventually caved, saying he’s “grown as a comedian” since then, and wrote the following tweet: “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.”
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres earlier this year, Hart elaborated on why he decided not to take the role, despite many celebs (including DeGeneres herself) insisting he pick it back up and urging the Oscars to re-sign him. “Now all of a sudden it’s a little darker because the conversation isn’t about me hosting the Oscars. The conversation is about Kevin Hart’s tweets from 10 years ago and homophobia. I don’t wanna step on that stage and make that night about me and my past when you have people that have worked hard to step on that stage for the first time and receive an award.”
Rather than choose a replacement, the award show’s producers, Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss, opted to forgo the role entirely. The Academy confirmed in late January that the broadcast would go host-less, Town and Country reports.
According to CBS, the Oscars will go on without a host, and still has a group of celebs to announce the nominees and winners Sunday night, including actors, professional sports players, comedians, and a congressman. The Academy has lined up Tom Morello, Queen Latifah, Chef José Andrés, Dana Carvey, Congressman John Lewis, Diego Luna, Mike Myers, Trevor Noah, Amandla Stenberg, Barbra Streisand and Serena Williams. Other presenters include Awkwafina, Daniel Craig, Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Keaton, Helen Mirren, Tyler Perry and Maya Rudolph.
Tune in tonight on ABC to catch the 2019 Oscars. Red carpet coverage kicks off at 5 p.m. ET on E!, and the Oscars begin at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
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