Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph Didn't Host the Oscars, But They Should Have
For the first time in thirty years, the Oscars went forward without a host. There was much speculation about what the award ceremony would be like without a traditional emcee, but turns out it was handled: Three legends—Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler—were brought out to set the tone for the evening.
Taking the stage early in the show, Fey joked right away that the three were definitely, 100 percent not the evening’s hosts. “We are not your hosts, but we’re going to stand here a little too long so that the people who get USA TODAY tomorrow will think we hosted.”
This lead to all of us watching at home to wonder the same question: Why the hell weren’t they hosting the Oscars? One viewer even tweeted, “Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler should never be at an awards show not hosting it.”
Fey, Rudolph, and Poehler have been slaying the game together since they were all co-stars on Saturday Night Live. (Their famous “mom jeans” sketch from the show is worth a revisit, if you somehow haven’t seen it.) And it’s not like these women don’t have experience—Fey and Poehler have hosted the Golden Globes together multiple times, starting in 2013. Last year, after Rudolph presented at the Oscars alongside Tiffany Haddish, Twitter lead a campaign for the two of them to host the 2019 show together.
Imagine a world where we got more than just three quick minutes of Fey, Rudolph, and Poehler’s banter? Even better, what if that included a few incredible cameos from Haddish? Hello, ratings gold.
Instead, they revealed that they were simply on stage to present the Best Supporting Actress award—no surprise hosting twist here. The three then spoke out about how women always offer a supporting role in their work. While that included joking that they support each other’s boobs (because, of course) and that Rudolph dubs Fey’s lines overseas, their message rang true. After The Oscars suffered from a series of controversies leading up the ceremony—including the removal of original host Kevin Hart—these women still showed up and supported the Oscars, helping the show put its best food forward. Because that’s what women do.
So next year, give us what we all want.