Lena Waithe wants someone ‘black and funny’ to host Oscars 2019
Lena Waithe appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race as a guest judge (Emma McIntyre/Getty)
Lena Waithe has called on the Academy to choose somebody black and funny to host the 2019 Oscars.
Waith’s comments come after comedian Kevin Hart pulled out of hosting the Oscars 2019 after a series of homophobic tweets he posted between 2009-2011 were circulated online.
In an interview with Variety, Waithe has called on the Academy to give the hosting duty to a black person.
“Let Donald Glover do it,” she said. “Donald would be dope. He’d be funny. I would like that. Let’s make sure [whoever hosts], they’re black.”
She also suggested Wanda Sykes, Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy as alternatives to Kevin Hart.
Lena Waithe finished by saying that she hopes whoever is selected is both “black” and “funny.”
Kevin Hart’s homophobic tweets
The Academy has not yet announced a replacement for Kevin Hart after he announced last Thursday that he was stepping aside after homophobic tweets were uncovered.
The tweets – which were posted between 2009-2011 – saw Hart using homophobic slurs and mocking LGBT+ people.
He also repeatedly used the word “gay” as an insult.
The tweets were unearthed and shared widely online last week after he announced on Instagram that he would be hosting the 2019 Oscars.
The tweets resulted in a huge online backlash, which ultimately prompted Hart to announce that he would not be hosting the awards ceremony after all.
“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s….this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artist,” he wrote.
“I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”
Gay comedian Billy Eichner weighed in on the debate soon afterwards, and said that toxic masculinity is “real.”
Eichner also said that he appreciated Hart’s apology to the LGBT+ community.
Lena Waithe: a trailblazing force
Lena Waithe has been a trailblazing force in Hollywood. Last year, she became the first black queer woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing for the “Thanksgiving” episode in Netflix’s Master of None, co-written with Aziz Ansari.
The episode explored her character Denise’s journey of exploring her sexuality and coming out to her family and friends.
In August, she revealed that she had decided to shave her head, and explained her reasoning for doing so.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while” she said, “I felt like I was holding onto a piece of femininity that would make the world feel comfortable with who I am.
“I think I thought for a long time, ‘Oh, if I cut my hair, I’ll be a stud, I’ll be—in the gay world, there’s a lot of categories—I’ll be a stud or I’ll be a butch,’ and I’ve always thought, ‘Well, no, I’m not that, I’m still soft,’ and I said, ‘Oh, I gotta put that down ’cause that’s something that is outside of me.’
