Chris Rock Says Steve Martin Should Host the Oscars Because 'I'm Not Doing It!'

At the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Chris Rock suggested a host for the Oscars.

New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2018 - Show, USA - 07 Jan 2019
Photo: Kristina Bumphrey/StarPix/REX/Shutterstock

Chris Rock doesn’t want to host the Oscars — but he has an idea of who should!

In a speech at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards in New York City on Monday night, Rock, 53, said that fellow comedian Steve Martin, who was also at the event, should host the Oscars.

“Steve Martin’s here! Steve Martin, you should host the Oscars,” Rock said. “You’re the best. Steve Martin should host the Oscars. Because I’m not doing it, goddammit! You’re not getting me.”

New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Show, New York, USA - 07 Jan 2019
Steve Martin at the 2019 New York Film Critics Circle Awards. Stephen Lovekin/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

Rock has hosted the Oscars twice, in both 2005 and 2016. Martin has hosted three times, most recently in 2010 with Alec Baldwin.

Rock, who was a surprise presenter at the night’s ceremony, also shared his thoughts about the current state of comedy.

“If it was five years ago I could say something real offensive and funny right now,” the comedian said, “but I can’t do that anymore, so… heyyyy!”

Roma, the black and white Spanish-language film set in 1970s Mexico City, was named Best Picture at the annual NYFCC awards, while the film’s director, Gravity‘s Alfonso Cuarón, also won the directing and cinematography prizes.

Regina Hall won the Best Actress award for her role in comedy Support the Girls, while the Best Actor prize went to Ethan Hawke, celebrating his turn as a pastor in First Reformed.

The Academy is still looking for an Oscars host to fill the spot vacated by Kevin Hart, who stepped down while apologizing for his resurfaced homophobic comments and tweets.

kevin-hart
Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty

In an interview on his SiriusXM radio show Straight from The Hart released on Monday night, Hart discussed the controversy.

“We thought it was okay to talk like that [in the past], because that’s how we talked to one another,” Hart explained. “In that, you go f—. This is wrong now. Because now we’re in a space where I’m around people of the LGBTQ community, and I’m now aware of how these words make them feel, and why they say ‘That s– hurt because of what I’ve been through.'”

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