Everyone’s favoritecanoe-paddlerandgigglepuss extraordinaire,Nick Offerman, has been confirmed as the official Show Announcer for this year’sAcademy Awardsceremony. TheParks and Recreationfunnyman will join hostConan O’Brienin show duties that are sure to bring the funny to this year’s Oscars. And he’s not the only famous face (or voice) to be newly confirmed to present or join the broadcast of the 97th installment of cinematic accolades.
The news was confirmed on Wednesday byThe Hollywood Reporterwhile speaking with executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan. The event will be the first time the Emmy Award-winning performer has attended the ceremony (though he and his equally-as-funny wife, Megan Mullaly, have managed to snag invites to theVanity Fairafter-party in the past).
Also planning to work that night areOprah Winfrey, Selena Gomez, Ben Stiller, Willem Dafoe, Goldie Hawn, Sterling K. Brown, Joe Alwyn, Lily-Rose Depp, Ana de Armas, and Connie Nielsen— all of whom have been confirmed as presenters at the awards. That star-studded list joins the previously announced presenters, which includesHalle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr., Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Cillian Murphy, Amy Poehler, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, June Squibb, Emma Stone, and Bowen Yang.
It Sure Is An Interesting Year To Be Nominated For An Oscar, Isn’t It?
It’s an interesting year for the Academy Awards, given the controversies and Los Angeles wildfires that have overshadowed the renowned event. Earlier this year, the arguable front-runner for many of the awards for which it was nominated,Emilia Pérez,proverbially fell off a cliff whencontroversial tweetsfrom its star —Karla Sofía Gascón— resurfaced online. The film, whichsome have comparedto the rise and success ofGreen Bookat the 2019 Academy Awards. GivenEmilia Pérez’s short-sighted, pandering, and oftentimes offensive depiction of Mexico and trans people that essentially only serves to make white people feel better, it’s not exactly an unwarranted comparison, either.Netflix called the whole situation “a bummer.”
Elsewhere — and perhaps a bit shortsightedly — some celebrities were calling fora full-on cancelation of the awardsshow altogether, like novelistStephen King, who told his followers on Bluesky that he wouldn’t even be voting for this year’s films because of the fires. It’s worth noting that canceling the event would have put hundreds, if not thousands, of Los Angeles residents out of work at a time when work has become increasingly hard to come by. So, of course, a lot of people who actually live in the city were not exactly on board with his demands. (This writer included, to be frank. I really like to work and work’s been really hard to come by these past few years, Stephen!)
O’Brien will host the awardslive from inside the famous and storied Dolby Theatre at the Ovation Hollywood center, and will air on ABC — as well as stream on Hulu — on Sunday, March 2, at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
The Oscars
