Chris Rock will be returning to the Oscars stage this February for the 88th Academy Awards. He previously hosted the show in 2005 and, honestly, hasn’t done a whole lot since. Turns out, Rock’s Oscars telecast was the first one I ever watched. And so, in honor of his return, here’s my ranking of the hosts over the past 11 years, or, in other words, from Rock On:
1. Ellen DeGeneres (2007, 2014) – She’s basically at the top of this list for the second go-around in ’14. Her monologue was solid, bringing Pizza to the celebs was genius, and the Selfie stunt was revolutionary. And she did what many great hosts can’t do: make the show fun and positive and not look like she’s trying too hard to impress.
2. Hugh Jackman (2009) – He’s the total package: singer, dancer, movie star and top showman. He’s said that hosting The Oscars is so daunting and rigorous that he’d never do it again, but I, and likely The Academy, would welcome a return.
3. Billy Crystal (2012) – When Eddie Murphy dropped-out, the eight-time host generously stepped-in for No. 9. It wasn’t “classic Crystal”, but he wasn’t afraid to poke fun at some controversies and bring back old bits. Crystal avoided harsh reviews because he saved the day and was certainly good enough.
4. Chris Rock (2005) – Maybe the most widely underappreciated on this list, which is why The Academy could be giving him a second shot. His edginess often works.
5. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin (2010) – Their monologue was entertaining, and then they basically disappeared, hardly on stage during the remainder of the show.
6. (tie) Seth MacFarlane (2013) and Neil Patrick Harris (2015) – NPH had a fantastic opening musical number, while MacFarlane’s didn’t work at all; a lot of MacFarlane’s jokes during the show were funny, while only a few of NPH’s hit the bullseye (and he’ll never recover from the magic box gag).
8. Jon Stewart (2006, 2008) – Nothing really memorable from either stint.
9. James Franco and Anne Hathway (2011) – Yeah, that didn’t go so well.