Why Steve Martin Refuses To Host The Oscars Once more

Steve Martin is a ludicrously proficient human being. He is a superb humorist, a advantageous actor, a talented magician, a masterful humorist (meaning he is humorous when he writes), an artwork collector of large discernment and, above all, an murderer with the banjo. He is gone from being an leisure phenomenon greatest identified for singing about King Tut to an leisure phenomenon greatest identified for making mirth with Martin Brief. In between, he wrote and starred in traditional comedy movies like “The Jerk,” “Lifeless Males Do not Put on Plaid,” “The Man with Two Brains,” “Roxanne,” “L.A. Story” and “Bowfinger,” and simply plain outdated acted in “Three Amigos,” “Planes, Trains and Vehicles” “Soiled Rotten Scoundrels,” and “Parenthood.”

Steve Martin is a nationwide treasure (simply watch his “STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 items” documentary on Apple+ in case you do not consider me). He deserves the easiest in life. So why, oh why, has he been compelled to host the Oscars thrice?

You would possibly suppose it is an honor to be requested to host the Oscars. It is not. It is an honor to be nominated, however to stroll out in entrance of an viewers stuffed with gussied up people both nervous about successful an award or wishing they could possibly be wherever however a kind of narrow-ass Dolby Theatre seats, and attempt to make them chortle? The listing of comedy titans who’ve bombed whereas internet hosting the Oscars is brief however distinguished: David Letterman, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart have gone down in flames. When Billy Crystal is your gold commonplace (and Bob Hope earlier than him), hiring Martin to host the Oscars is like renting a Lamborghini to haul lumber.

However why ought to I communicate for Steve Martin when he is been fairly eloquent about why he’ll by no means host the Oscars once more in his personal phrases?

In a 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Instances, Martin revealed that he was “very nervous” the primary two occasions he emceed the Oscars as a result of he did it solo. When he hosted with Alec Baldwin at his facet, he was rather more comfy. “Trying again, I spotted, ‘Oh, I had another person on the market with me.'”

If that is the case, why not simply get his new live-comedy companion Martin Brief to tag-team the Oscars with him? And, hell, why not throw their “Solely Murders within the Constructing” co-star Selena Gomez into the combination (as supplied a number of years in the past)? Based on Martin:

“That represents a lot work for us. And we love our summers. After I hosted earlier than, I began working months forward of time. And now I’ve a very totally different life. I am not as free. It is a variety of work and we’re working.”

One other difficulty for Martin is that the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences are low-cost. However, actually, it is in regards to the work. Nonetheless, Martin has a joke for the Oscars that he by no means obtained to make use of. Maybe Conan O’Brien, the comedic genius and late evening god who will do his darndest this March to succeed the place his friends have stumbled, can use it. Per Martin, “I am going to come out and say, ‘I do know what you are considering. You are considering, ‘Steve, how did you get to host the Oscars?’ It was straightforward. I simply referred to as my agent and I stated, ‘Get me one thing thankless.'”

Good luck, Conan.