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The 2022 Oscars are going back to the basics. The 94th Academy Awards will return on March 27, and this time they’ll have a host — the award show’s first since 2018.
Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich announced the news Tuesday during an appearance at the Television Critics Association press tour, CBS Los Angeles reports. The new host has yet to be announced.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel was the last person to host the Oscars, taking on the coveted role for his second time in 2018. Kevin Hart was announced as the 2019 host, but withdrew amid backlash over past homophobic tweets. The show did not have a host that year.
Until 2022, the Oscars experimented with the no-host format, with some shows threaded together with musical numbers, while others, like the 2021 Oscars, began each presentation with a different monologue. But the 93rd Academy Awards saw a record low viewership with 9.85 million viewers — a 13.75 million viewer loss from the previous year — according to Variety.
The Academy also announced Tuesday that Glenn Weiss would return to direct the award show for his seventh time.
