Forced To Go Host-less In 2019, The Oscars Decides To Replicate Formula In 2020

The Oscars has decided to go host-less for a second time in a row after last year’s success.

“Together with the Academy, we have decided there will be no traditional host, repeating for us what worked last year,” ABC entertainment president Karey Burke announced. “[The ceremony will have] huge entertainment values, big musical numbers, comedy and star power.”

This decision could only have been made after the dramatic events of last year’s Oscars. In 2019, the Academy Awards were in a tough spot. Last December, Kevin Hart announced that he would be hosting the 91st Oscars. His old homophobic tweets and stand-up soon resurfaced, causing controversy. He stepped down as host just two days after the announcement was made. Now left without a host for the first time since the disastrous 1989 Oscars, the Academy instead relied on combination of big moments and A-list presenters to keep the ceremony exciting. Comedians Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph opened with a monologue, while Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s romantic performance of “Shallow” left everyone talking about if they were secretly a couple.

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The result was better than the Academy and ABC could have anticipated. Ratings went up by 12%, and viewers between the ages of 18-49, the key demographic, went up by 13%. In May, Burke hinted that the Oscars would stick with the host-less format, which is now definitive: “We’re extremely proud of how the [2019] show turned out creatively and how well it performed this year, so I think you will see us not messing with that formula to the best of our abilities.”