Oscars Hosts Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes Take Aim at Nominees and Florida: “We’re Going to Have a Gay Night”

Ryan Gajewski
·4 min read
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Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes got the festivities started with a bang Sunday at the 2022 Oscars.

Following Beyoncé’s opening performance in Compton of King Richard’s Oscar-nominated song “Be Alive,” DJ Khaled burst onto the stage to give the co-hosts a proper introduction as all three women made their entrance at once.

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Sykes referred to the ceremony as, “Where movie lovers unite and watch TV.”

Schumer addressed their selection as hosts by quipping, “This year, the Academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man.”

During their opening monologue, the ladies acknowledged the eight awards that were handed out prior to the live telecast. “It was a controversial and difficult decision, but I think we’ve moved on,” Sykes said, before the lights on the stage flickered behind her.

After Sykes and Hall described the communities they represent, Schumer joked, “And I’m representing unbearable white women who call the cops when you get a little too loud.”

Sykes reflected on the performers who were overlooked by the 2022 Oscars voters. “There was a lot of snubs this year: Rachel Zegler for West Side Story, Jennifer Hudson for Respect and Lady Gaga and Jared Leto for ‘House of Random Accents,'” she said.

Schumer followed up with, “You know what’s in the In Memoriam package this year? The Golden Globes.” After the audience reacted to the joke, she added, “They didn’t have any Black members.”

Said Sykes about Netflix’s The Power of the Dog, “I watched that movie three times, and I’m halfway through it.”

Hall praised Samuel L. Jackson for having received an honorary Oscar this year, although Sykes claimed he has a “few holes in his résumé.” Sykes said she wanted to see him and Jenifer Lewis star in a rom-com called “When This Mofo Met That Mofo. Or the sequel, Bitch, I Said I Love You.” This led Jackson to point at the stage, as if contemplating the idea.

Among other topics covered during the monologue were COVID-19, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, LeBron James’ hairline in Space Jam: A New Legacy and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

As the monologue concluded, Sykes, who is a member of the LGBTQ community, said, “We’re gonna have a great night, and for you people in Florida, we’re gonna have a gay night.” The women then repeated the word “gay” a number of times.

Moments later, Schumer took the stage by herself to poke fun at Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating life and Don’t Look Up’s mixed reviews.

“The innovation to make a movie about Lucille Ball without even a moment that’s funny,” she said about Being the Ricardos. Schumer then added, “Not your fault, Nicole [Kidman] — you’re great.”

After that, Hall did a bit where she claimed to be calling up attendees who had tested positive for COVID-19, but they ended up all being handsome men, with Bradley Cooper, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Perry and Simu Liu joining her onstage.

Hall then named Will Smith, telling him, “You’re married, but you know what, you’re on the list and looks like Jada [Pinkett Smith] approved you, so you get on up here!” This led Smith to shake his head and wave his hands to decline the offer.

Later in the ceremony, Sykes appeared in a prerecorded segment in which she got a tour of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. At one point, she was shown an empty case representing the Oscar that Hattie McDaniel bequeathed to Howard University. “It also honors all the Oscars won by Black directors,” Sykes quipped about the empty space.

While walking past a grotesque mask from the Lord of the Rings franchise, Sykes said, “Hey, Harvey Weinstein!”

This year’s ceremony, which is produced by Will Packer and directed by Glenn Weiss, marks the first time in 35 years that three people have shared hosting duties, and it’s the first time ever that three women have been given the honor.

The most recent Oscars ceremony to feature a host was the 2018 event, when Jimmy Kimmel emceed the festivities.

The 94th annual Academy Awards are being held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and airing live on ABC.

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