Film News: Eddie Murphy Drops Out as 2012 Oscar Host

Submitted by TimBMartens on November 9, 2011 - 3:39pm

CHICAGO – A day after producer/director Brett Ratner was ousted from being the 2012 Academy Award show producer, 2012 host Eddie Murphy has decided he will no longer host the upcoming Oscar ceremony. The announcement came Wednesday afternoon as Murphy – who worked with Ratner on the recent feature release “Tower Heist” – decided he didn’t want to stay on as host without his friend and creative partner working with him.

The ordeal started at a panel discussion for the film “Tower Heist” where Ratner made a homophobic slur when talking about rehearsals. Ratner later apologized for the comment, but the damage had been done. The Academy on Tuesday felt they needed to part ways with Ratner as the comment and bad wrap was something they didn’t want hovering over the award ceremony.

On Wednesday, Murphy decided he would no longer host the show and made his announcement in a brief statement:

First and foremost, I want to say that I completely understand and support each party’s decision with regard to a change of producers for this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. I was truly looking forward to being part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I’m sure the new production team and host will do an equally great job.

As for who that new host might be, it’s too early to tell. Luckily for the academy, they hired Murphy far in advance of the awards and have plenty of time to find someone else to fill his shoes. The upcoming Oscars take stage on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.