Chris Rock gave a strong performance as host of the 88th Annual Academy Awards in a contentious year of boycotts and #OscarsSoWhite controversy. He pointed out the hypocrisy of Hollywood and those outside the industry criticizing the lack of diverse nominees.
So who will the Oscars choose to succeed Rock as the host in 2017? Will they bring back the comedian for a second year? Has the two-year break been enough for Ellen DeGeneres to return? Or will Kevin Hart keep working harder than a porno star and add Academy Awards host to his growing resume?
HNGN has put together a wish list for possible Oscar hosts at the 89th Academy Awards, airing on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 on ABC. See our picks below.
Kevin Hart
Chris Rock practically anointed Kevin Hart as the next Oscars host in his monologue on Sunday night. Rock was told to quit his hosting gig in protest of the lack of diverse nominees, but he chose to stay because he couldn't "lose another job to Kevin Hart."
Hart would be no stranger to hosting a major awards ceremony. In 2011, he emceed the BET Awards and a year later, MTV tapped him to host the MTV Video Music Awards. He's also hosted "Saturday Night Live" twice over the last three years and will team up with his "Central Intelligence" co-star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to host the 2016 MTV Movie Awards.
The "Ride Along 2" star brings an extreme amount of energy to every project that he's involved in and would be the perfect choice to host an event that can start dragging about an hour into the awards.
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres has already conquered the Oscars stage twice, hosting in 2007 and 2014. Her latter performance featured a record-breaking, celebrity-filled selfie and a pizza delivery for big names like Meryl Streep and Brad Pitt.
The Academy approached DeGeneres for the 2015 ceremony, but the Queen of Daytime refused to host for a third time. Could the three-year absence be enough to pull the comedian back to the Dolby Theatre? She basically has her daytime talk show on autopilot - monologue, dance, funny celebrity guest, give real person money (and make America cry tears of joy) and then sign off with "Be Kind to One Another."
Jimmy Fallon
This may not work seeing as how Jimmy Fallon is on a competing network, but the host of "The Tonight Show" is an obvious choice to claim the most prestigious hosting job in all entertainment. Fallon rocked the 62nd Annual Emmy Awards in 2010 with his opening number of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" and is beloved by nearly everyone in Hollywood. No other host in late night can get his guests to break eggs on their heads, lip sync their favorite songs or play frat party games like beer pong and flip cup.
Fallon currently rules over his late-night competition including Stephen Colbert and former Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel. Before he took over "The Tonight Show," he won over his audience hosting NBC's "Late Night" and has returned to "Saturday Night Live" to host two times. Plus, where Jimmy Fallon goes, Justin Timberlake would likely follow and who doesn't want to watch that?!
Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer became a household name in 2015 following the success of her movie, "Trainwreck," her HBO comedy special and the genius sketches on her Comedy Central show, "Inside Amy Schumer." She also rocked hosting the MTV Movie Awards and made her debut in Studio 8H hosting "Saturday Night Live."
Schumer could also bring along some great friends to help her out such as two-time Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, "Master of None" star Aziz Ansari and one of the hottest Chrises in Hollywood, Chris Pratt.
