The Academy Reportedly Struggles to Find New Oscars Host Due to Small Paycheck

© AP Photo / Chris Pizzello90TH ACADEMY AWARDS - SHOW
90TH ACADEMY AWARDS - SHOW - Sputnik International
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is struggling to find a new host for the February 2019 ceremony after comedian Kevin Hart left the position.

Hollywood sources said that the paycheck for the job as the host of the ceremony is infamously small, making it almost impossible to find new candidates for the role, TMZ reported.

READ MORE: 'Thank U, Next': Kevin Hart Out as Oscars Host Amid Row Over Gay Jokes

Jimmy Kimmel said he only got $15,000 for his services in 2017 – a figure which has made most potential candidates turn down the job. The sources told TMZ that the Academy views the position of the host as the career opportunity of a lifetime and doesn’t want to sell it out for money, rendering the payment rather symbolic.

The earlier reports suggested that some in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is considering dumping the position of host for the 2019 ceremony, according to the New York Post. At least two of the Academy members said that the offer is “on the table”.

One of the reasons for such a decision, the sources outlined to the New York Post, is that the position itself has become controversial. 

“We don’t encourage our clients to [host the Oscars] anymore,” said one prominent agent. “Every host gets picked apart by vultures.”

The agents, interviewed by the Post, also said that the job has become “a lose-lose for everyone” as the new stars don’t get the ratings and the old stars have lots to lose. Reportedly among those who turned down the proposal to host the show are Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Seinfeld and Justin Timberlake.

An Oscar statue is seen at the nominations announcement for the 87th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 15, 2015. - Sputnik International
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Already on a year-to-year decline, Oscars’ 2018 ratings slipped by a precipitous 19 percent. In October, the Academy tapped popular “Shakespeare in Love” producer Donna Gigliotti and veteran awards-show director Glenn Weiss with the specific goal of pumping up the ratings and garnering more attention for the show.

Kevin Hart, a comedian, who was supposed to host the ceremony, stepped down after his old tweets with gay jokes were discovered. Hart said that he “[did] not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists” and apologized to the LGBTQ community.

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