12. Bob Hope
Still notable for hosting the most number of times – 19 in total (12 times on his own and seven times with co-hosts) – Bob Hope chalked up his first Oscar hosting gig in 1940. And, after that, he was part of a number of milestones, hosting the first televised Oscar ceremony in 1953, the first color telecast of the Oscars in 1966 and the 50th edition of the Academy Awards in 1978, which marked his final stint as host. Asked back that often, Hope really knew what he was doing. And he always did it right.
11. Johnny Carson
Heeeere’s Johnny! Famous as the onetime king of late-night talk shows, Johnny Carson was hired to host the Oscars five times over six years, from 1979 to 1984. He was second to Hope in terms of bringing a consistent, old-school level of lighthearted humor, charm and class to the telecast.
10. David Letterman
Unfortunately, not all late-night talk-show icons are masterful when it comes to hosting the Oscars. In fact, some would say that David Letterman was at the opposite end of the spectrum. He hosted only once, in 1995. And things went south right from the start. In fact, Letterman’s opening joke was the first of many things that bombed that night: “Oprah … Uma … Uma … Oprah.” Enough said.
9. David Niven
A classic screen star, David Niven shared the Oscar hosting duties with others a total of three times. His stints in 1958 and 1959 were relatively tame. In 1974, though, a streaker ran across the stage, prompting a surprised Niven to quip, amid the audience laughter: “Well, ladies and gentlemen, that, um, that was almost bound to happen. But isn’t it fascinating that … fascinating to think that … that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings.”
8. Jon Stewart
The opening segment of the 2006 Oscar telecast portrayed Jon Stewart as being very low on the wish list of potential Oscar hosts that year. He did seem like an odd choice at the time, but his awkward, fish-out-of-water take on the gig was apparently good enough for him to be asked back for a second shot at it in 2008, right after the Hollywood Writers’ Strike had ended. Talk about harsh timing.
He was second to Bob Hope when it came to the number of times he handled the hosting duties for the Oscars. From 1989 to 2012, Billy Crystal hosted the show nine times, six of which took place during the 1990s. A USA Today poll in 2003 ranked Crystal as the most popular Oscar host ever. No wonder. He was brilliant each time, particularly in the imaginative ways he made his entrance at the opening of the shows, including a memorable one in 1992 that used a Hannibal Lecter muzzle over his face.
6. Whoopi Goldberg
She hosted four times (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002) and Whoopi Goldberg made big impressions along the way. Her debut stint marked the first time a female – and an African-American – served as the solo host of the Oscars. Goldberg is also known for making one of the most memorable hosting entrances, opening the 1999 show dressed as Elizabeth I – in whiteface – and delivering a real zinger of a joke: “Good evening, loyal subjects. I am the African Queen. Some of you may know me as the Virgin Queen – but I can’t imagine who.”
He had already hosted the Oscars twice before – in 2001 and 2003 – but when Steve Martin teamed up in 2010 with his Saturday Night Live rival host, Alec Baldwin, the hosting stint turned out to be his best one yet. It was also the best hosting chemistry ever for the Oscars.
4. James Franco and Anne Hathaway
3. Seth MacFarlane
When Seth MacFarlane was announced as the host of the 2013 Oscars, a lot of people didn’t really know who he was. After the show, critics and viewers were divided on the job he did. Some called his song-and-dance approach to the show surprisingly funny and impressive; others labeled his stint as mean and misogynistic. Either way, he raised plenty of eyebrows.
She hosted the Oscars twice. The first time, in 2007, was awkward and widely regarded as a disaster, largely because Ellen DeGeneres spent too much time childishly fawning over the stars in the audience. Her second shot at it, in 2014, had a completely opposite effect. It was a brilliant, more confident and much more comical stint, boosted in part by a famous, group selfie that exploded onto the Internet and social media.
1. Chris Rock
Looking for someone who would bring an edgier feel (and younger viewers) to the show, Oscar officials recruited Chris Rock in 2005. Sure enough, he brought his unique, cutting-edge humor to the job. Afterward, some Oscar insiders felt he did well, while others weren’t very impressed and said he pushed things too far. Well, 11 years have gone by since then. Let’s see how he does this time around.
