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Chris Rock to host ABC's Oscar broadcast next year
Chris Rock was a presenter at the 2012 Academy Awards. He'll return as host of the 2016 ceremony.
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Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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We know that Sean Penn won’t be amused, but at least the rest of the 2016 Oscar audience — both inside the Dolby Theater and watching on television — will have plenty of chances to laugh.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday named comedian/actor/filmmaker Chris Rock as the host for next February’s Oscars. Rock emceed the ceremony in 2005, when the broadcast attracted 42.2 million viewers in the U.S.
In the decade since Rock’s show, only the 2014 ceremony with Ellen DeGeneres at the helm performed better. Many recent broadcasts, including this year’s ceremony with Neil Patrick Harris as host, have drawn comparatively small audiences.
Rock and Penn clashed in the 2005 ceremony, when Rock joked about how many movies actor Jude Law appeared in that year. "If you want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law — wait!” Penn — clearly not amused — then used his appearance as an award presenter to castigate Rock and praise Law, calling the British performer “one of our finest actors.”
Rock will bring a small dose of diversity to an awards season that — like the honors for last year’s movies — has been overwhelmingly dominated by white actors. In this year’s ceremony, not a single one of the 20 people nominated in the four acting categories was a person of color.
This year, the numbers look equally lopsided: Idris Elba, the co-star of “Beasts of No Nation,” is one of the only non-white performers considered a favorite for a nomination.
In a statement, the producers of next year’s ceremony, David Hill and Reginald Hudlin, said: “Chris Rock is truly the MVP of the entertainment industry. Comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, documentarian – he’s done it all. He’s going to be a phenomenal Oscar host!”
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“I'm so glad to be hosting the Oscars,” Rock said. “It's great to be back.”
Rock recently directed the comedy special, "Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo," for HBO. In 2014, he wrote, directed and starred in the feature, "Top Five," and in 2009 produced, wrote and starred in the documentary, "Good Hair."
This story has been updated.
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