'Serenity' Film Review: Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway Get Stranded in a Noir That Reeks of Fish Guts

“There’s some weird stuff going on right now,” and ain’t that the truth in Steven Knight’s “Serenity.” The writer-director of “Locke” returns with a sleazy film noir about attempted murder on an isolated island, but it doesn’t take long before that underwritten, conventional storyline goes in an extremely odd (and extremely questionable) direction.

Matthew McConaughey stars as Baker Dill, a fisherman who’s so obsessed with catching one particular tuna — that tuna’s name is “Justice” — that he pulls a knife on his own customers, just to prevent them from catching it themselves. He doesn’t make a lot of money, that Baker Dill. And no matter how hard he tries, he never catches that danged fish.

Baker Dill meanders around Plymouth Island, a small community of salty fishermen and even saltier, stickier trysts. But although Baker Dill has a sexual arrangement with the well-to-do Constance (Diane Lane), he’s not entirely over his ex-wife, Karen (Anne Hathaway). So it’s awkward, to say the least, when she arrives on Plymouth Island unexpectedly — and asks Baker Dill to kill her new husband.

Watch Video: Matthew McConaughey Goes Shirtless Again in 'Serenity' Thriller Trailer

To his credit, Baker Dill rejects her offer, but the more he learns about her husband, Frank (Jason Clarke), the more we realize Frank really is an abusive monster, who brutalizes Karen and Baker Dill’s son, Patrick (Rafael Sayegh). Maybe, just maybe, the world would be better off without Frank. And maybe, just maybe, Baker Dill is the man to do it.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s not very interesting. Knight, who’s written excellent crime thrillers like “Dirty Pretty Things” and “Eastern Promises,” doesn’t bring his usual, rich characters and believable dialogue to “Serenity.” For a long time, it plays like a copy of a copy of a copy of “Body Heat.” The nuance is lost, and only the perspiration remains. Every frame is so unbelievably sweaty you’ll pray for the sprinklers in the theater to go off.

Also Read: 'Glass' to Stay on Top of Box Office in Quiet Pre-Super Bowl Weekend

The story is all pressure points and no connective tissue, with big plot turns landing hard and everything in between feeling aimless. McConaughey carries the film as best he can, but his character is stuck halfway between “Mud” and “A Time to Kill” with no off-ramp in sight, and Hathaway has never looked this disinterested before. Some of the supporting cast (even the good ones) deliver their lines like they’re reading GPS directions, and it’s hard to blame them, because the dialogue rangers from perfunctory to absurd. “You fish for only one tuna,” one of the islanders tells Baker Dill. “And that fish is only in your head.”

By the halfway point, it’s getting hard to imagine why McConaughey and Hathaway were interested in this project, or why Knight wrote it. But then something happens that changes the whole direction of the story, and it happens so early that it’s impossible to truly critique the film without addressing it. But it also happens just late enough in the movie that revealing it is a gigantic spoiler. (This phenomenon is known as “The Terminator Genisys Effect.”)

Suffice it to say, before going any further, that “Serenity” looks and sounds like a subpar film noir on purpose, and the reason behind it is remarkably unsatisfying, and makes the film even more awkward and uncomfortable.

Also Read: Anne Hathaway to Star in Robert Zemeckis' 'The Witches' Remake

What follows might be considered SPOILERS to some, so proceed with caution:

Without going into too much detail, the world of “Serenity” is not to be trusted, and it’s all part of a grand design. Nobody is who they say they are, and it’s Baker Dill’s responsibility to complete his quest — to catch the fish, or to kill Frank — or else something exceptionally bad will happen to his son.

If it sounds exciting, it’s not. The revelation — provided by Jeremy Strong (“Succession”), who’s essentially playing the running-gag pratfall guy from “Catalina Caper” — answers no questions, raises millions of others, and unveils some truly disgusting subtext that the movie never dares address.

We are expected to believe that Baker Dill is the hero, and that killing Frank might be the most moral out of all his options, because doing so will save Patrick. But in the process we learn things about Patrick that are deeply disturbing. Patrick is keenly interested in watching Frank sexually abuse his mother, for instance, but “Serenity” never confronts that disturbing facet of his character. Patrick is a creepy person in a creepy world ruled by a creepy creep with a creepy fixation on fishing, of all things, and “Serenity” sidelines that whole line of inquiry in favor of Baker Dill’s existential crisis and a ham-fisted insistence on following the “Fisherman Always Rings Twice” subplot to its (illogical) conclusion.

The best twists make you reevaluate everything you’ve seen before, and reveal new layers of the story that make the whole film stronger. The twist in “Serenity” makes you reevaluate everything you’ve seen before, but now it all makes less sense, as though Knight wasn’t particularly interested in the mechanics of his twist and only interested in pulling the rug out from under us. The joke’s on all of us, because the film, the filmmakers, the actors and even audience wind up falling flat on our bottoms. And it hurts.

“Serenity” is a twist in search of a movie, a film noir in search of a purpose, and a great cast in search of better material.

The Last 14 Oscar Hosts Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)

1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
YouTube
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
Getty Images
1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
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1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.
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From James Franco and Anne Hathaway to Billy Crystal and Jimmy Kimmel, TheWrap looks back at the Hollywood stars who have hosted the Academy Awards over the last three decades

1. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2001, 2003) He's smart, classy and relaxed, an effortless performer with a sharp wit who knows how to hit the right tone, even when he hosted a show that began a few days after the Iraq war began. Plus the crew all say he's the most low-maintenance host imaginable. 2. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/hugh_jackman/">Hugh Jackman</a> (2009) When it seemed as if the standup-comic-as-Oscar-host tradition was becoming awfully tired, producers <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/bill_condon/">Bill Condon</a> and Lawrence Mark brought in a singing, dancing, charismatic movie star to show what a new kind of host could do. Since then, no other star has come close to doing what Jackman did, maybe because none could. 3. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/billy_crystal/">Billy Crystal</a> (1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004, 2012) Let's face it, his last few times hosting the show were pretty stale -- but Crystal deserves to be high on the list (or maybe even top the list) for the four years, 1990-1993, in which he reinvented the job. Bonus points for the 1997 return in which he debuted the montage that inserted him into the year's top movies.4. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/whoopi_goldberg/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) For a host who was rarely the producers' first choice in the four years she did the job, Goldberg supplied plenty of indelible Oscar moments: her "Moulin Rouge"-style entrance in 2002, her costume changes in 1999 and her delight in tweaking the ABC censors every chance she got whenever she hosted.5. Jimmy Kimmel (2017, 2018) Before his first Oscars hosting gig was overshadowed by that Best Picture envelope fiasco, Kimmel was smart and entertaining enough that we forgave him for a few too many Matt Damon jokes. The following year was more of the same, suggesting that he's a capable host who won't light up the room but won't really let you down either.6. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/jon_stewart/">Jon Stewart</a> (2006, 2008) Stewart got off to a rocky start the first time he hosted, no doubt thrown by the notoriously difficult Oscar audience. But he got more assured as that show went along -- and when he hosted again two years later, he was sharp and smart and funny.7. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/chris_rock/">Chris Rock</a> (2005, 2016) Rock's first hosting gig got a bad rap because Sean Penn didn't appreciate that Jude Law joke, but his monologue had real bite and his filmed bits were funny. Although he seemed to be exactly the right host for the year of #OscarsSoWhite 11 years later, he squandered a strong start by rarely talking about anything except the elephant in the room.8. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/alec_baldwin/">Alec Baldwin</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/steve_martin/">Steve Martin</a> (2010) Individually, sure. Together, ho-hum. There's something about hosting the Oscars that diminishes a performer if they have to share the spotlight.9. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/david_letterman/">David Letterman</a> (1995) You have to feel bad for Letterman, who followed his idol Johnny Carson onto the Oscar stage but didn't adapt to the job the way Carson had. Some of his stuff was actually pretty funny, but his Oscarized version of the "Late Show" was a bad fit, and you could tell that he knew it.10. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/neil_patrick_harris/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> (2015) Harris has the skill set to be a great host, as the Tonys and Emmys have shown. But NPH saved his worst hosting job for his biggest gig, maybe because the show had no idea how to play to his strengths. And hey, there were some truly impressive sleight of hand magic tricks at the end of the night -- but after a three-hour build-up, nobody cared. 11. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/seth-macfarlane/">Seth MacFarlane</a> (2013) It's not a good idea to start your Oscar show with a lengthy bit about what a terrible host you might be. But MacFarlane did just that, playing down his swankiness, playing up his smuttiness ("Show Us Your Boobs!") and setting exactly the wrong tone for the big night.12. <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/james_franco/">James Franco</a> & <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/" data-mce-href="http://www.thewrap.com/tag/anne_hathaway/">Anne Hathaway</a> (2011) He was nearly comatose; she overcompensated by being mind-numbingly perky. And a pairing that didn't make a lot of sense on paper ended up making no sense at all on stage.In 2019, the Oscars ceremony went ahead with no host, following Kevin Hart stepping down from the role after old homophobic tweets of his resurfaced. The no-host awards show actually worked, to the point where the 2020 Academy Awards might be without a host yet again.

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The Last 14 Oscar Hosts Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)

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