Summary

• Comedian Kevin Hart says definitively that he would never host the Oscars.
• Hart called awards shows "very cold" environments for comedians.
• Hart's comments follow recent criticism of Golden Globes host Jo Koy, who fell under scrutiny.

Comedian 2024 Oscars are set to be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

Now, Hart speaks with SkyNews surrounding his grim outlook on how awards shows treat comedians. The comedian first wanted to “destroy” any hope people had of his prospects of hosting the Oscars. Hart claims that awards shows “aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore,” saying that “those rooms are very cold.” Check out the full quote from Hart below:

Whatever little hope you had, I want to destroy it right now. Those gigs aren’t good gigs for comics. It’s no shot to the Oscars, no shot to the Globes or anything else. Those just aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore. I think they got it right one year where it was like just a bunch of personalities acting as the hosts and that’s a nice thing. It’s a collaborative thing, different people get to be responsible for act one, act two, act three, but you know, the days of it being a room for a comic, those days are done.

Shout out to those that have cracked the code and done it right early on, you know, the Chris Rocks of the world, the Billy Crystals of the world, the girls we’ve had like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler. Ricky Gervais. There’s a lot of people that understand that if you’re not an industry comic, meaning a comic that has the relationships of all, then those rooms are very cold. So, me doing it is, of course, at an advantage, because I know the room and for me, and familiar with so many. But, for others it’s not the same.

It’s not the gig that it was of old. It’s too much pressure on the idea of a comic and what’s jokes and not jokes. So, it’s tough.

Is Kevin Hart Right About Awards Shows?

Hart’s comments come following the 2024 Golden Globes ceremony, which caused controversy over comments made by comedian host Jo Koy. Koy was criticized overall for several jokes made throughout the show that audiences felt were tasteless. In one joke, Koy came at Barbie, noting that former Barbenheimer box office competitor Oppenheimer was based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning book whereas Barbie was based on “a plastic doll with big boobies.”

While the patterns Hart observes about awards shows are evident, the increasing scrutiny regarding comedians in awards shows is not necessarily negative.

Hart is right in that comedians do have a history of being heavily criticized for awards shows. While comedians face potential backlash whenever they do sets, it seems that awards shows, given the wide audience reach they get, leave comedian hosts under particular fire. This trend, as evidenced in the case of Koy, is further encouraged by annual lists that parse out the best and worst moments of the Oscars ceremony, Golden Globes ceremony, and more.

That said, part of why awards shows like the Oscars are growing increasingly hostile for comedians is a good thing as it keeps hosts able for inappropriate behavior. So, while the patterns Hart observes about awards shows are evident, the increasing scrutiny regarding comedians in awards shows is not necessarily negative.

Source: SkyNews