The Top 5 Absolute Worst Oscar Hosts
There are highs and lows with every Academy Awards ceremony, but some lows are simply too low to forget, and oftentimes hosts are to blame. A lot rests on the shoulders of the helmsman of Hollywood’s biggest night and some have just plain missed the mark.
Here are the top five worst Oscar hosts to ever disgrace the stage:
5) Randy Johnson: OK, let’s face it: there are few pitchers that have ever rivaled the skills of Randy Johnson. But while the famed athlete knew a thing or two about throwing strikes, Johnson’s awkward presence as host on the Oscars stage really missed the mound. Yoooouuuuuu’re outta here!
4) Thich Nhat Hanh: Why do people suffer? revered Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh rhetorically asked the start-studded Academy Awards audience. Viewers watching him as host were likely asking themselves the same question. Though the spiritual teacher nailed the opening dance number, his restful meditation sessions pushed the show into the 5-hour mark and left us yawning (though somewhat more at peace with our despair).
3) Kim Davis: When the Academy announced Kim Davis would be hosting the Oscars, hardly anybody thought she could handle the job. They were right. While some of the jokes did land (and her popcorn-selfie with Morgan Freeman set Twitter ablaze), Davis’s lackluster performance made for a relatively charmless evening (particularly when she refused to give the envelope to anyone in Milk). Can we hold her in contempt of Oscar?
2) Benito Mussolini and Mickey Rooney: Mickey Rooney and Il Duce’s performance as co-hosts may be one of the Academy’s biggest duces. The aggressive Italian fascist and boyish vaudevillian made for an odd pairing under the big lights and just couldn’t find a rhythm. Between Mussolini’s violent chest-pounding and Rooney’s uninspired pants-dropping gags, it was a night of cringe that Hollywood will forever hope to forget.
1) Harvey Weinstein: For a host, timing is everything. Unfortunately, Harvey Weinstein’s could not have been worse. Fresh off of the #MeToo movement and numerous allegations of sexual harassment and abuse, many were perplexed by the selection of Weinstein as host this year. The infamous producer sweated through the awkward evening with little grace, losing his place frequently on the teleprompter and asking at one point whether he could “start over.” There was no need to rent The Disaster Artist this year, viewers could just tune in to watch this train wreck.
