Oscars 2019: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Says He Was Academy’s ‘First Choice’ to Host

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson just broke his silence on the Oscars hosting situation saying he was “their first choice.”

Why wouldn’t he be? He has one of the most demanding schedules in Hollywood due to his popularity in the industry! The man stays busy.

When one Twitter user tweeted, “If the Academy is so inclined to line up a great host for next year’s Oscars, just pick @TheRock. Nuff said.”

Johnson replied with a light hearted but interesting response.

“Ah mahalo dude, I was their first choice to host this year, and my goal was to make it the most fun and entertaining Oscars ever,” he wrote. “We all tried hard, but couldn’t make it work since I’m shooting Jumanji. Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road.”

After comedian, Kevin Hart, stepped down from the position following backlash over a tweet he wrote in 2010 saying he feared his son would be “growing up being gay,” the Academy struggled to find a replacement.

On Tuesday, the new ABC Entertainment president, Karey Burke, confirmed that the 2019 Academy Awards will be held without a host for the first time in several decades.

“Ironically, the lack of clarity surrounding the Oscars has kept the Oscars really in the conversation and the mystery has been compelling,” Burke said. “People really care. It’s fascinating. We’re going to see a big turnout for this because these are big, popular movies who are being nominated. People really care to see who is going to win.”

She continued to say that the idea of no host was a quick and clear decision after the Night School star took a step back.

“There wasn’t a messiness beyond the Kevin Hart situation. After that, it was pretty clear that we were going to stay the course. There was an idea that they were going to have the presenters just host the Oscars,” she added. “We all got on board with that. The main goal, which I was told, was the Academy promised ABC last year after a very lengthy telecast to keep the show to three hours. Producers wisely decided to not have a host and to go back to having the presenters and movies be the stars, and that be the best way to keep the show at a brisk three hours.”

Whether Johnson was serious about being the Academy’s first choice or not, maybe fans will have a chance to see him host the annual award show in 2020. Until then, Hart and Johnson will be shooting Jumanji for the sequel which is set to release in December 2019.

The Oscars will air live Sunday Feb. 27 on ABC.