While Will Smith slapping Chris Rock sucked the oxygen out of the room during Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, one of the other cringe moments was Amy Schumer, one of three hosts, trying to make a seat filling joke with nominee Kirsten Dunst from “Power of The Dog,” who was sitting next to co-star/husband, Jesse Plemons. Many had assumed the joke was at the expense of Dunst, mainly because of how clumsy it was, but Dunst was aware it was going to happen.
Schumer took to Instagram stories with a written post (See below) to remind outraged people on the internet that the interaction on the show, while awkward and potentially unfunny, was “choreographed” with Dunst being in on the joke.
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“Hey, I appreciate the love for Kirsten Dunst. I love her too! That was a choreographed bit she was in on. Wouldn’t disrespect that queen like that,” the host said about the Oscars bit.
Most of the time, hosts and show producers approach nominees/celebs before the Oscars to let them know they’ll be either the subject of bits or if they might be called upon to help execute them. It’s not always an improvised night of comedy as jokes and ideas are normally vetted through a team of writers alongside the producers and ABC network brass.
It’s certainly not like when Ricky Gervais goes rogue during the Golden Globes and spends the night attacking people while drinking booze throughout the night. The Oscars, for the most part, are a controlled environment outside of the speeches, which can be reserved for more political statements or other kinds of protest sentiments.
I’m sure many are curious to see if next year’s show will go back to foregoing hosts altogether or realize that sticking to a single host might be a better idea than crowding the stage with three of them.
