Ratner, who was accused of sexual misconduct by at least nine women in the course of the Me Too movement, was initially set to produce the 84th Academy Awards with Murphy as host. However, at the time he stepped down after he was caught using homophobic slurs.
“Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career,” he said in a statement at the time. “But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents.”
Before long, Murphy left as well. In his departure, he framed Ratner as a creative partner, without whom he did not want to work on the show.
“I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I’m sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job,” he said.
Murphy is reportedly “less interested” this year than ever before. The actor has kept a low profile in the last several years, with only three feature film credits to his name this decade.
Still, time is running out and the Academy is running out of candidates to take the lauded hosting gig. A recent editorial by The Hollywood Reporter titled “Why Oscar Host Has Become the Least Wanted Job in Hollywood” explained why no stars are lining up to host anymore, and why the show needs some serious changes if it is to keep going.
Article Appeared @https://popculture.com/celebrity/2018/12/09/oscars-2019-eddie-murphy-eyed-replace-kevin-hart-host/