Chris Rock Won’t Boycott Hosting The Oscars
Chris Rock has no plans to quit as Oscars host in the wake of the ongoing storm over all-white lists of nominees.Β Rock has faced calls to walk away from his second stint as host in protest at the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesβ failure to nominate a single actor from black or ethnic minority backgrounds for the second year running.
In the last week, several Hollywood stars have declared they will not participate in the ceremony due to the dearth of nominees who are people of color. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith said they planned to stay away from the show, while Spike Lee has said he will attend an NBA game instead. Others have weighed in on the nominations, including as Rashida Jones, Straight Outta ComptonΒ producer Will Packer, and actor Don Cheadle, who tweeted at Rock saying heβd be βparking cars on G levelβ during the show.
Even Rock referenced this yearβs nominees in a tweet, calling the ceremony βThe White BET Awards.βThe controversy prompted the Academy to change its membership rulesΒ with the intent to double the number of women and people of color in its ranks by 2020.
Rock has hosted the show only one previous time, in 2005. We can’t wait for his jokes and sense of humor.