It’s hard to believe that it has been less than two weeks since Kevin Hart was announced as the host for the 2019 Academy Awards, only to have to step down due to his old homophobic tweets resurfacing.
Yet, somehow, it is even harder to believe that, in the ensuing almost-two weeks, a replacement Oscars host for Hart has not yet been found. But a few people (or, to be exact, nearly 12,000 people) think they have the answer: Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph.
After Haddish and Rudolph shared a killer presenting bit at the 2018 Oscars, someone had the foresight to start a petition for the duo to host the 2019 ceremony. The petition lays out a convincing argument for Haddish and Rudolph to host: both are objectively hilarious, universally beloved, and would provide some much-needed diversity to the Academy Awards. Over the past 20 years, only three women (Anne Hathaway, Whoopi Goldberg, and Ellen DeGeneres) and two people of colour (Chris Rock and Whoopi Goldberg) have hosted the Academy Awards.
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“In the brief time they were onstage, Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph were objectively funnier than most Oscar hosts in recent memory,” the petition’s creator, Rebecca G., wrote. “It's clear that the Oscars need some new energy.”
The call for new energy seemed to hit a chord with people — in the time since the petition was posted, about 12,000 people have signed it.
Should Haddish and Rudolph not work out, several other names have entered the fray, most of them from famous people nominating their equally-famous peers. Jordan Peele thinks the host should be Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg thinks the host should be Ken Jeong. The Oscars, meanwhile, think it may not even be worth having a host at all, according to the Guardian.
If you’re waiting for Oprah to take on the gig, however...don’t hold your breath.