Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — The Oscars will be a triple feature with Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosting the Academy Awards, it was announced Feb. 15.
Producer Will Packer made the announcement with Hall, Schumer and Sykes saying, “We want people to get ready to have a good time. It’s been a while.”
It will be the first time hosting the Oscar ceremony for each woman.
The Oscars will be televised live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on March 27 at 5 p.m.
“This year’s show is all about uniting movie lovers,” Packer said in a statement. “It’s apropos that we’ve lined up three of the most dynamic, hilarious women with very different comedic styles.
“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.”
The Oscar ceremonies have been without a host for the past three years, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making up for it by announcing this year’s show will have three hosts.
Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said the Academy is invigorated by Packer’s vision for this year’s Oscars.
“Hosting this star-studded party are three powerful, funny women inviting us to laugh and cheer for the year’s best and brightest in film,” Rubin said in a statement.
The Oscars have not had a host since 2018, when Jimmy Kimmel filled the role. Comedian Kevin Hart was slated to host the ceremony in 2019, but he withdrew when some past homophobic Twitter posts and jokes began circulating on social media.
The ceremony went without a host that year, and the show went relatively smoothly. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opted not to have an emcee the following year as well.
“Imagine having one of the funniest women in comedy today hosting the Oscars, … Now, multiply that by three,” Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, said in a statement. “Regina, Amy and Wanda are comedy powerhouses who will make history as the first female trio to host the biggest night in entertainment, and we’re thrilled to have them at the helm to deliver an incredible show full of unforgettable moments and laughter.”
Last year’s Oscar ceremony was somewhat abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting location to downtown’s Union Station. Instead of a host, last year’s show opened with a short welcoming monologue by actress/director Regina King.
The Academy also announced that the Governor Awards have been rescheduled for March 25 and scaled down after being postponed because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
The event had originally been scheduled for Jan. 15 but was postponed in late December as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus drove case rates to worrisome levels.
The rescheduled event will take place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood. The original ceremony had been set for the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel in Century City.
The honorees will remain the same — veteran actor Danny Glover will receive the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while performers Samuel L. Jackson and Liv Ullmann and writer-director-actress Elaine May will receive honorary Oscars.
