Oscars Hosts By the Numbers
This year the Oscars have decided to commit to their trend of the last few years by not hiring a host for Hollywood’s biggest night. In the 21st Century, thirteen different people helmed the show from 2000-2020 all coming from various parts of the entertainment world. Some are best known as comedians, some are actors, many can sing and dance and used these skills in the opening of the show. Some years saw the hosting duties shared between two hosts. So we have looked in Oscars hosts by the numbers to see who was the most-watched, who hosted the most? Let’s find out!
But who was the best? By (US) ratings, Ellen DeGeneres brought in the most viewers of the last twenty shows with 43.7 million viewers. While Steve Martin and Billy Crystal hosted three times. Both hosted two of the top 10 most-watched Academy Awards. Ellen also ranked twice in the top 10 most-viewed shows. Seth MacFarlane, Hugh Jackman, and Neil Patrick Harris offered the most musical and theatrical openings. Seth and James Franco were the only hosts to be nominated for an Academy Award the night they hosted. And, Jimmy Kimmel will be forever remembered as the host who dealt with the Moonlight and La La Land mix-up for Best Picture!
Academy Awards Hosts 2000-2020
- Billy Crystal: 2000, 2004, 2012
- Steve Martin: 2001, 2003, 2010
- Whoopi Goldberg: 2002
- Chris Rock: 2005, 2016
- Jon Stewart: 2006, 2008
- Ellen DeGeneres: 2007, 2014
- Hugh Jackman: 2009
- Alec Baldwin: 2010
- James Franco: 2011
- Anne Hathaway: 2011
- Seth MacFarlane: 2013
- Neil Patrick Harris: 2015
- Jimmy Kimmel: 2017, 2018
- No Host: 2019, 2020
Top 10 – Ratings
- 2014 – Ellen DeGeneres, 43.7 million viewers
- 2004 – Billy Crystal, 43.5 million viewers
- 2001 – Steve Martin, 42.9 million viewers
- 2005 – Chris Rock, 42.1 million viewers
- 2002 – Whoopi Goldberg, 41.8 million viewers
- 2010 – Alec Baldwin & Steve Martin, 41.3 million viewers
- 2013 – Seth MacFarlane, 40.3 million viewers
- 2007 – Ellen DeGeneres, 40.2 million viewers
- 2012 – Billy Crystal, 39.3 million viewers
- 2006 – Jon Stewart, 38.9 million viewers
Lowest Ratings
- 2020 – No Host, 23.6 million viewers
- 2018 – Jimmy Kimmel, 26.5 million viewers
- 2019 – No Host, 29.6 million viewers
For more Oscars By the Numbers check out our 2019 and 2020 Best Picture breakdowns.