For the first time in the history of the Academy Awards, three women will serve as hosts of the Oscars. As officially announced on Tuesday morning by the academy – but reported in numerous outlets on Monday afternoon – actors Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes will co-emcee the 2022 Oscars when the ceremony takes place on March 27. It’s the first time as many as three people have shared the mantle of “Oscars host” since the 1987 ceremony when Chevy Chase, Paul Hogan, and Goldie Hawn were hosts.
“This year’s show is all about uniting movie lovers. It’s apropos that we’ve lined up three of the most dynamic, hilarious women with very different comedic styles,” 94th Oscars producer Will Packer said in a press release. “I know the fun Regina, Amy and Wanda will be having will translate to our audience as well. Many surprises in store! Expect the unexpected!”
In their own joint statement, the three stars expressed optimism about the evening. “We want people to get ready to have a good time. It’s been a while,” Hall, Schumer, and Sykes said.
Prior to this year, Jimmy Kimmel was the last Oscars host, having emceed the ceremonies in 2017 and 2018. In late 2018, Kevin Hart was hired to host the 2019 Oscars but stepped down amid controversy over homophobic tweets from years prior. Following the Hart imbroglio, the academy and its broadcast partner, ABC, decided against bringing in another host for the 2019 ceremony. That show, which featured the blockbuster hit “Black Panther” among the Best Picture nominees, saw modest ratings increases from the 2018 event. For the 2020 and 2021 ceremonies, the academy and ABC again decided to forgo a host. But those two broadcasts are the least-watched in modern Oscars’ history, with the 2021 ceremony standing as the current nadir of Academy Awards’ viewership stats.
The news that Hall, Schumer, and Sykes had been selected as Oscars hosts was only one bit of show news to arrive this week. On Monday, the academy revealed plans to bestow a “fan-favorite” award on a popular 2021 film as voted on by Twitter users. The concept, which won’t result in the winning film earning an actual Oscar, harkens back to the failed attempt before the 2019 Oscars to create a category at the ceremony to honor “popular films.” This year, numerous fans online – and even former host Kimmel – bemoaned the fact that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” failed to earn a nomination for Best Picture. The early assumption is that the “fan-favorite” award will find a way to honor the “Spider-Man” film during the ceremony regardless of its nomination status. (“Spider-Man: No Way Home” can win an actual Oscar on March 27 as it’s among the nominees for Best Visual Effects.)
“We’re invigorated by Will’s vision for this year’s Oscars: celebrating movie lovers alongside moviemakers and spotlighting fan favorites that prove how cinema can unite us all,” said academy president David Rubin and academy CEO Dawn Hudson in a statement on Tuesday.
The Oscars 2022 takes place on March 27.
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