Hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes will make Oscars history tonight

The 94th Academy Awards will make Oscars historical past on Sunday earlier than the primary trophy is even handed out in the course of the dwell ceremony: Three ladies will host the distinguished Hollywood affair for the primary time.

Actor Regina Corridor and Emmy-winning comedians Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes are co-hosting the present with plans to convey their edgy humor and plenty of enjoyable to the usually overstuffed ceremony.

The final lady to host the ceremony was Ellen DeGeneres, who did it to comparatively rave critiques again in 2014. She additionally hosted in 2007.

Since DeGeneres’ second stint, organizers have enlisted Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Rock and Jimmy Kimmel. The present, which airs on ABC tonight beginning at 5 p.m. Pacific, then went with no host for 3 years in a row following comic Kevin Hart’s homophobic jokes scandal forward of the 2019 ceremony.

And it seems that the present, which is being helmed by Corridor’s “Ladies Journey” producer Will Packer, is making up for misplaced time with a trio of hosts this 12 months and some controversial plans to spice up scores.

Solely a handful of ladies — beginning with Agnes Moorehead in 1948 and Claudette Colbert and Thelma Ritter within the Nineteen Fifties — have hosted the ceremony, however all the time with a male counterpart or two. Ditto for former hosts Goldie Hawn, Jane Fonda, Liza Minnelli and Shirley MacLaine.

Actor-comedian Whoopi Goldberg was the primary lady to do emcee solo in 1994 and had repeat engagements in 1996 and 1999. And the way may we overlook — as a lot as we’d prefer to — Anne Hathaway’s earnest, however extensively panned, stint in 2011 with a completely checked-out James Franco?

This 12 months’s Oscars may even be the primary for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic to go on with formal emcees. And it’s occurring whereas warfare remains to be raging in Ukraine, so there can be loads of sobering subjects to the touch on between all of the trade thank-yous.

Corridor, Schumer and Sykes have mentioned to “anticipate the surprising,” which is difficult to do with one thing as formulaic as Hollywood’s marquee occasion. In promos main as much as the gig, Schumer is solid as probably the most keen of the three to be a part of the trio.

Sykes will little question lean on her stand-up background and acerbic humor. “The Upshaws” co-creator and star has additionally hosted quite a few exhibits, together with a short-lived speak present in 2009 and visitor stints on “The View,” “The Speak” and several other awards exhibits. She additionally appeared in Schumer’s 2017 comedy, “Snatched.”

Corridor, who starred within the 2017 breakout comedy “Ladies Journey” and within the “Scary Film” franchise, has most just lately appeared in Hulu’s “9 Excellent Strangers,” Showtime’s “Black Monday,” HBO’s “Insecure” and the movie “The Hate U Give.”

Schumer, a author, actor and slapstick comedian, broke by means of with the Comedy Central present “Inside Amy Schumer.” She’s starred in two stand-up specials, wrote and starred in “Trainwreck” and the characteristic comedy “I Really feel Fairly.” She additionally starred in a Meals Community cooking collection along with her husband and is now starring within the Hulu comedy “Life & Beth.”

“We’re actually excited to have a good time movie and make enjoyable of individuals, too,” Corridor just lately advised Selection. “I used to be like, ‘Do you assume we’re going to have pals after?’ No, we’re going to. It is likely one of the factors of the night time to have the ability to have a good time and for all of us to make enjoyable of ourselves.”

Schumer had an analogous thought, but additionally has her personal concepts, together with a potential tribute to Ukraine.

“There’s undoubtedly strain in a single option to be like, ‘It is a trip. Let folks overlook. We simply need to have this night time,’” Schumer mentioned on “The Drew Barrymore Present” final week.

“However … we now have so many eyes and ears on this present. It’s a fantastic alternative to at the least touch upon a few issues. I’ve some jokes that spotlight the present situation.”

In the meantime, Sykes pulled again the curtain on their internet hosting technique, joking that in the event that they aren’t actively onstage within the Dolby Theatre, they’re busy consuming off digital camera.

“We’re going to share a monologue on the prime of the present, and then you definately’ll see us in several [set ups],” she mentioned Monday night time on “Jimmy Kimmel Stay.” “Both we’ll be collectively, it may be two of us, it may be one among us, who is aware of?”

“To be trustworthy, it’s like whoever will get drunk is gonna be the one which’s backstage,” she joked. “So for those who see Amy and Regina out, you possibly can simply go, ‘Wanda’s drunk, she’s backstage — drunk.’”

Kimmel, in fact, has hosted the present twice and revealed to Sykes that he received paid a mere $15,000 for the high-profile gig: “And there’s one among me! You guys will in all probability have to separate that. It appears like loads for one night time, but it surely’s months of labor main as much as it.”

However Sykes mentioned she’s doing it to have some enjoyable.

“It’s not like I’m getting paid,” she quipped. “Get what you pay for. You need sober Wanda, you gotta add some extra zeroes and transfer that comma. You’re getting Free Wanda.”