Seth Rogen may be a well-known actor, but he understands why the audience has been shrinking in recent years for Hollywood’s biggest night. The “Knocked Up” alum said he’s not surprised that viewers have stopped tuning to the ceremony in recent years.
“I don’t get why movie people care so much if other people care what awards we give ourselves,” the 39-year-old actor said during an interview with Insider.
“To me, maybe people just don’t care,” Rogen continued. “I don’t care who wins the automobile awards. No other industry expects everyone to care about what awards they shower upon themselves. Maybe people just don’t care. Maybe they did for a while and they stopped caring. And why should they?”
Viewership for the Oscars has been declining for years. According to the New York Post, only 9.85 million people tuned in for the 2021 installment while 23.6 million watched the Oscars in 2020. Viewership was at 29.6 million in 2019.
There could be a few reasons for this, and no doubt some of them are pandemic related. Notable in 2019, the Academy did away with in-person hosts after a controversy caused the slated host, comedian Kevin Hart, to back out of the gig.
Fans brought up “homophobic” jokes Hart made in the past. The comedian voluntarily stepped down as host after apologizing for offending anyone.
“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscars,” the comedian said at the time on Twitter. “This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”
The Oscars will have hosts in 2022 for the first time since Jimmy Kimmel did the job back in 2018. It’s believed that Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall will be sharing hosting duties for the 2022 installment of the show.
Rogen has never been nominated for an Oscar but has attended and even performed at several ceremonies. The “Knocked Up” actor teamed up with his “Pineapple Express” co-star James Franco for a skit at the Oscars show in 2009.
The Academy Awards haven’t been back to “normal” since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but this year is the closest it’ll be to a time before masks and vaccines were part of every conversation about large gatherings.
In yet another controversial moment, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their plan not to mandate proof of vaccination (with or without a booster) in order to attend this year’s in person Oscars ceremony. Instead, attendees will need to provide a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the event.
However, the Academy does require their employees to be vaccinated with rare medical exemptions. These truths have been met with derision and anger on social media since the announcements were made.
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