After the Oscars accidentally stumbled into a fairly successful formula by ditching a host earlier this year, the Emmys is following suit.
Fox on Wednesday confirmed there will be no host for the Emmys next month for the first time since 2003, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The network explained that the success of this year's Academy Awards shaped this decision, with Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier noting, "The Oscars did very well. That was something we paid attention to."
The 2019 Oscars, of course, was supposed to have a host originally. Comedian Kevin Hart was hired for the position, only to step down within days when past homophobic tweets drew criticism. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ultimately did not replace Hart and went host-less in a move that many thought would create disaster but that actually resulted in unexpectedly positive reviews, as critics observed the ceremony flowed well without being bogged down by so many asides and bits. "Tough night for hosts everywhere, because they are now unemployed forever," The Ringer's Sean Fennessey tweeted at the time. The ratings for the 2019 Oscars ended up improving for the first time in 5 years.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Collier on Wednesday also suggested going host-less will allow the broadcast to devote more time to honoring the actual nominees, saying, "if you have host and opening number that's 15 minutes you don't have to celebrate the shows." It remains unclear whether the Oscars will go host-less again in 2020, but that seems like a strong possibility, with ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke saying earlier this year, "We're not messing with that format, to the best of our abilities."
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Sept. 22.
-
September 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful northThe Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
