Neil Patrick Harris to host the Oscars
Variety has learned that actor Neil Patrick Harris (star of hit comedy How I Met Your Mother) will host the 2015 Oscars. Patrick had previously hosted the Emmy Awards twice and the Tony Awards four times. He’s performed during the Oscars before as well.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ellen DeGeneres, 2014’s host, passed on returning, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld) was offered to host but turned it down.
Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said, “We are thrilled to have Neil host the Oscars. We have known him his entire adult life, and we have watched him explode as a great performer in feature films, television and stage. To work with him on the Oscars is the perfect storm, all of his resources and talent coming together on a global stage.”
Harris added, “It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year's Academy Awards. I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show. To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true.”
The 87th Oscars will debut February 22 on ABC. Last year's Oscars reached more than 45 million viewers. Check out a video from Harris below:
