When there’s an award show, the focus is always on the award recipients. This makes sense, seeing as the whole point of something like the Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, or Academy Awards is to celebrate an artist’s work. While that’s undoubtedly true, you can rarely have an award show without a host, and over the years, hundreds, if not thousands, of them spread across various industries, handing out trophies and statues to the elite.
While the awardees get to take home a statue of some kind, it’s undeniable that a fantastic host can sometimes steal the show. This happens occasionally, and when a particular host does a spectacular job, they, too, deserve a standing ovation. Of the many award show hosts who’ve rocked a microphone on stage over the years, these deserve as much, if not more, praise than the awardees themselves.
Johnny Carson hosted the Academy Awards five times throughout his career, and in 1979, he knocked it out of the park. Carson was great at blending humor with digs at the audience, including joking about the prevalence of plastic surgery in Hollywood, which was gaining ground in '79.
Best Joke: “Glorious throng of beautiful people. I see a lot of new faces - especially on the old faces.”
Steve Martin’s ability to command the attention of anyone in the room came in handy when he hosted the Academy Awards in 2001, 2003, and 2010. His 2003 turn as host offered up some of the veteran comic legend’s best jokes, especially in his opening monologue.
Best Joke: “By the way, the proceeds from tonight’s Oscar telecast - and I think this is so great - will be divided up among huge corporations. Now, I am so excited to be back. I didn’t host the show last year because I was, how do you say it? Not asked.”
Hugh Jackman hosted the 2009 Academy Awards, bringing his singing, acting, and dancing skills to the stage. His opening number with Anne Hathaway is the stuff of legend, and he delivered plenty of jokes with perfect timing and precision. He made some funny self-referential quips and targeted who was, at the time, the Hollywood power couple.
Best Joke: “Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, ladies and gentlemen. I don't actually have a joke for them; I'm just contractually obligated to mention their names five times during the show.”
Longtime collaborators and friends Tina Fey and Amy Poehler came together to host the 2015 Golden Globes, and their chemistry made the night. They bantered back and forth, delivering topical and hilarious jokes, ensuring everyone remained tuned to the broadcast until the end.
Best Joke:
Amy: “We should explain to all the people in the room - the Hollywood people - cake is like a, it's like a fluffy desert that people eat on their birthdays.”Tina: “Oh, and birthdays are like a thing people celebrate when they admit that they have aged.”
Jon Stewart hosted the 2006 Academy Awards, delivering his unique style of humor about politics and everything topical in Hollywood at the time. Stewart addressed sensitive topics while eliciting chuckles, which is what you’d expect from the veteran comic.
Best Joke: “Björk was not able to be here tonight. She was trying on her Oscar dress, and Dick Cheney shot her.”
Jane Lynch landed the gig hosting the 2011 Emmy Awards, bringing her Glee lip-syncing skills to the task. She began with a skit about herself and her public image before joining forces with the cast of The Big Bang Theory in a hilarious sketch. Many of her jokes revolved around her being a lesbian, including a dig at the cast of a popular series.
Best Joke: “A lot of people are very curious why I’m a lesbian… Ladies and gentlemen, the cast of Entourage.”
