The Oscars will once again go without a host at the 2020 ceremony
For the second year in a row, there won't be a high-profile celeb presiding over the annual Academy Awards show.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed the decision to forgo a host yet again via tweet on Wednesday. That's probably wise after a 2019 ceremony managed to avoid stepping into a proverbial pile of feces.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
If vague emoji tweets aren't enough to satisfy you, there's also a statement from ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke, who chatted about the news on Wednesday before an appearance at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour (h/t The Hollywood Reporter).
You May Also Like
"Let me confirm it now, together with the Academy, that there will be no traditional host this year," Burke said. The report goes on to note that the desire is to, as THR paraphrased it, "repeat what worked" in 2019.
Yeah, there was the highly questionable Best Picture win for Green Book. But that would've happened with or without a host, and it's a totally separate conversation. The news comes with less than a week to go before the Jan. 13 announcement of nominees and just over a month before the show itself airs on Feb. 9.
In lieu of a host, the 2019 ceremony leaned on a larger and more varied lineup of presenters. It also replaced the opening monologue with a miniature rock show, with Adam Lambert joining Queen for an electrifying performance of "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions." The performance was of course tied to 2019's hit Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, for which star Rami Malek won Best Actor.
It's anyone's guess as to how the 2020 show will open at this point. If the Elton John biopic Rocketman nabs a lot of nominations, a performance from the man himself isn't out of the question. Personally, I'm hoping we get Taylor Swift performing "Beautiful Ghosts" from Cats, because Cats is excellent and deserves all the statues.
Prior to 2019, 1989 was the last time the show went without a proper host (and it was a big, beautiful disaster). You can tune in to ABC on Feb. 9 to catch the 92nd annual Academy Awards.
UPDATE: Jan. 8, 2020, 3:22 p.m. EST Added ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke's statement.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
