Since the Academy Awards, or simply the Oscars, are actually going forward with a host, comedian and actor Ricky Gervais has revealed what it would take for him to accept an invitation to take on the role.
In an interview with the "Today" show Tuesday, Gervais, who has a history of controversial performances as the host of the Golden Globes, was asked if he would be interested in hosting the Oscars. Gervais began shaking his head in the negative before the question could even be finished but later explained his hesitation.
"They’d never let me do what I wanted," he said. "I mean that’s why the Globes got me. They said I could write my own jokes and say what I wanted, no rehearsals."
However, Gervais admitted that if the Oscars came to him and offered the same conditions as the Globes, he would take the hosting gig. He is convinced, however, that this will never happen.
"I’d get canceled halfway through," he joked, replying to the "Today" show hosts, who became excited after he said there was a chance he would take the job, with the comedian adding that he was "regretting saying that just in case now."
"Under those circumstances, yeah [there’s a chance]," he admitted, but also added: "It won’t happen!"
According to reports, Hulu Originals & ABC Entertainment President Craig Erwich revealed at the Television Critics Association virtual press tour that the network is looking for a pop culture-savvy host to lead the show, after Kevin Hart famously stepped down from hosting amid controversy over past homophobic tweets.
As a result of the backlash, the show did not have a host that year, nor in 2020 or 2021. While the 2019 Oscars, which were broadcast without a host, set a new record in terms of ratings, they have dropped dramatically in the last two years, forcing the Academy and ABC to explore a change.
Gervais, who has hosted the Golden Globes five times, in his most recent appearance gave a stunning opening address in which he slammed both the Hollywood elite and pop culture, always with a pint of beer standing on the table.