Ellen DeGeneres to host the 2014 Academy Awards
Ellen DeGeneres is set to host the Oscars for the second time! She announced the exciting news on Twitter this morning.
It's official: I'm hosting the #Oscars! I'd like to thank @TheAcademy, my wife Portia and, oh dear, there goes the orchestra.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 2, 2013
Academy Award producers confirmed the news by telling ABC, “There are few stars today who have Ellen’s gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity. She is beloved everywhere, and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theater, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are.”
Of course, Ellen is a total pro when it comes to hosting. Not only does she deliver the laughs on her personal talk show, but she also received positive reviews for hosting the Academy Awards in 2007.
Ellen’s brand of humor is bound to be quite different from last year’s Academy Award host, Seth MacFarlane — which was likely a conscious decision on the part of the Academy.
“It’s easy to see her return to the job as a safe move for the producers after the Seth MacFarlane-hosted show earlier this year sparked controversy about his arguably sexist routines,” said Aisha Harris for Slate. “In any case, she’s about as far from MacFarlane as any comedian one can imagine. And she strikes me, all things considered, as a step up from the Family Guy creator.”
The Academy Awards will be broadcast on March 2, 2014.
