EXCLUSIVE: Oscars Bosses 'Getting MONSTER Checks Ready' to Try and Land Chris Rock as Host of 2026 Academy Awards — After Comic Says: 'Never Say Never' About Fronting Show
Chris Rock hasn't ruled out returning to the Oscars stage as host of the whole show.
March 8 2025, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Oscars bosses are considering "busting the pay structure" to tempt controversial host Chris Rock back to hand out the famous statuettes.
Presenters of the prestigious event are typically paid up to $25,000 to front the ceremony, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
But academy chiefs are now eyeing bringing back Rock for a box office hit after Conan O’Brien’s "steady but unspectacular" Oscars presenting debut.
A source told us: "Oscars hosts are paid surprisingly little given the ceremony's high profile.
"This year, Conan O'Brien will take the stage as the host, earning between $15,000 and $25,000 for his role. This figure pales in comparison to what hosts for events like the Golden Globes receive.
"For many, hosting the Oscars is less about the paycheck and more about the honor and the impact on their legacy.
"But that could be about to change. The academy really wants to bring back Chris as it seems he has unfinished business following the Will Smith affair and he'd be a huge audience winner.
"But to do that they'd have to pay him big money and maybe it is time to bust the pay structure and fall in line with other awards ceremonies so they can land the person they want."
Rock was assaulted in front of millions of viewers by Smith for making a crack about his wife Jada's buzz-cut – leading to Smith getting a 10-year ban from the ceremony.
Another insider added: "Bosses know the rock 'n' roll has totally gone out of the show – Will's 'Slapgate' was their biggest winner in years, and they know it.
"They want to bring back a bit of a rebellious streak for the show next year in the hope they don't keep putting movie fans to sleep."
Golden Globes hosts such as Tina Fey and Ricky Gervais typically pick up a pay check of up to £500,000 for their night's work handing awards and poking fun at Hollywood's great and good.
And it is never say never for Rock, who revealed that he hasn’t ruled out hosting the Oscars again, three years after the infamous Smith slap.
Rock will want a fortune to do the job, sources say.
When asked if he would preside over Hollywood’s biggest night again after the physical altercation during the live 2022 telecast, the funnyman said: "You never know."
The Brooklyn-bred comic, who hosted the Academy Awards in 2005 and 2016, was presenting the 2022 award for Best Documentary when he made an unscripted joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, after which Smith jumped on stage and assaulted him. Pinkett Smith has said she has alopecia.
Rock previously addressed the incident, mocking Smith in the live 2023 Netflix comedy special Selective Outrage.
He joked: "I took that hit like Pacquiao," referring to the former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.
Rock took Smith's hit without pressing charges.
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On the red carpet for Vanity Fair’s post-Oscars party, Rock said: "This is what I would say – the most miserable people on earth are people that can’t forgive. And not just people, you have to forgive yourself sometimes. So, hey, you never know."
Four months after the public attack, Smith, who won the Best Actor trophy, apologized for the incident, saying in a groveling near six-minute video: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences condemned the Fresh Prince of Bel Air star’s actions and banned him from attending any event related to the organization for 10 years, including the Oscars.
Smith also resigned from the Academy.
