Wow, I thought this had a slim chance of happening, but I didn’t think it actually would. After Brett Ratner resigned his position as producer for this year’s Oscars for saying “fag” on Howard Stern and just being a general douchebag, it was unclear if Eddie Murphy would follow him out and either be let go or walk away from his hosting duties.
Breaking news in Hollywood is that yes, Murphy is out as host. As it turns out, he really wanted to work with Ratner and this is being reported as his decision. Says Murphy:
“First and foremost I want to say that I completely understand and support each party’s decision with regard to a change of producers for this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I’m sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job.”
And the Academy president is fine with that:
“I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well.”
Seriously? You’re going to give up hosting the Oscars because your idiot friend got caught running his mouth? Murphy has made many bad career decisions as of late, but leaving the Oscars as a sign of solidarity for Brett Ratner has to be chief among them.
For me, this isn’t that big of a loss. After seeing what happens when Ratner and Murphy team up during TOWER HEIST, I can’t say it had me itching to see more.
What do you make of this? And who should host now?
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