As the Academy Awards scramble to find a host for the 2019 awards, a former Oscar winner and four-time host is throwing her hat into the ring.
"Now, I realize I may not be anybody's first choice, but…," Whoopi Goldberg said on "The View" on Wednesday, while also shredding the notion of Hollywood's biggest night not having a host, an idea that's been floated. "If you want to go hostless, that's your prerogative. I think it's a dumb idea. People need someone to take them through things. I think it needs to be somebody who loves the films."
The Oscars' job opening comes after Kevin Hart stepped down as host after controversial tweets from eight years ago resurfaced. Whoopi has also had her fair share of controversy.
"I'm also problematic!" she said. "Half of the country is really mad at me, the other half is OK until tomorrow, and then they're pissed at me!"
However, while Whoopi would take the gig, she doesn't think she should be the first choice (and for the record, she hasn't been contacted about it.)
While speaking to Stephen Colbert on Dec. 11, she vocalized her support for Ken Jeong.
"I want Ken to do it," she said. "He would be brilliant. It would also constitute the first Asian-American to host the Oscars. It would be a whole series of firsts. He also loves film, and I think that's what you need in a host. You need someone who actually gets why films are great and can tell you the ins and outs and the silliness of movies."
At one point, being offered the hosting job of the Academy Awards was a tremendous honor, but that hasn't been the case of late. TMZ noted that the notoriously low pay was a factor. Whoopi, though, said social media plays a factor in whether to take on the gig or not.
"You used to have to only worry about newspaper critics saying stuff about it, but now you've got everybody and their mother [saying stuff]," she said. "Nobody wants to hear that and it should be a lot easier to do than it is."