After three consecutive years without a host, Hollywood’s biggest awards ceremony will return with an emcee when it airs this coming March. Announced by Craig Erwich, president of ABC Entertainment as well as head of programming at Hulu, this year’s Academy Awards are set to return with a host in tow.
The Academy Awards began their hostless experiment in 2019, when originally assigned host Kevin Hart dropped the position after receiving public criticism. Instead of tapping a replacement, the organization chose to go without an emcee, and the ceremony opened with a movie montage instead of a monologue, with awards presented by a revolving door of actors.
The 2019 ceremony saw an increase in ratings, leading ABC to attempt the same the hostless event again in 2020. The awards show, which aired just before COVID lockdowns, garnered an audience of 23.64 million viewers, and was seen as a general success. However, the 2021 ceremony, which also remained hostless, saw that number drop significantly to only 10.4 million. It currently remains the lowest viewership of the Academy Awards since 1974.
No details have been released about potential hosts for the 2022 ceremony. Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was the ceremony’s last official host, having done so in 2017 and 2018 to generally positive reviews. Other past favorites include Chris Rock, with his second hosting stint in 2016, Ellen DeGeneres with her famous group selfie in 2014, and acting legend Whoopi Goldberg, who hosted four times between 1992 and 2002.
The 94th Academy Awards is set to be executive produced by Will Packer. In an interview with the Television Critics Association, Erwich expressed confidence in Packer’s abilities, stating, “Will really has his pulse on popular culture and entertainment, I know he has a lot in store and we’ll have more details to share soon.” Glenn Weiss is set to direct the show for the seventh consecutive year.
This year’s ceremony returns to the Dolby Theater at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, California. Oscar nominations will be announced on February 8, with the ceremony airing on March 27 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.