Cedric the Entertainer Has 1 Fear About Hosting the Emmys: ‘Just Try Not to Get Canceled’ – Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Cedric the Entertainer’s hosting the 2021 Emmy Awards. This is the longtime stand-up comedian’s first time hosting a major awards show. He’s not concerned about a possible wardrobe malfunction, fumbling a line or two, or even tripping on live TV.
Being ‘canceled’ is Cedric the Entertainer’s 1 fear about hosting the 2021 Emmy Awards
When Cedric the Entertainer signed on to host the 2021 Emmy Awards his mind immediately went to Kevin Hart and the 2019 Academy Awards. Back in 2018, after signing on to emcee, Hart backed out of hosting because of anti-gay tweets and the Oscars went on without a host.
“First thing that crossed my mind was when Kevin Hart got canceled for the Oscars,” the star of the CBS sitcom, The Neighborhood, told USA Today in September 2021.
The 57-year-old continued, sharing that it’s his fear he too could get “canceled” before the Emmys. He admitted that after signing on for the hosting gig he asked himself one question. “I accepted the job and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, what have I done in the last three months that is going to get me canceled before I even go to work?’” he said.
In a separate September 2021 interview with The Associated Press, the Barbershop alum made mention of it again, saying the “biggest thing” is to “just try not to get canceled beforehand.”
‘The Neighborhood’ star doesn’t want the Emmy Awards to have ‘that Oscars feel’
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The Emmys aren’t the Academy Awards and Cedric the Entertainment plans to make that clear.
“We want to blend these things together — shows that you heard of but didn’t really watch, mixed with some shows that you know,” he told
The New York Times in September 2021. “Though we’re dressed up and wearing tuxedos, I don’t want that Oscars feel — that ha, ha, ha, ha.”
His plan is to give it a more relaxed and inclusive feel. “I was telling the writers, let’s remove the velvet rope of it all — the feeling that, when you look at these shows, this is for them.”
He continued, saying he wants the Emmys to be more accessible.
“Streamers and cable are really what the Emmys are about, the more avant-garde things. The smart television. It started to have this feeling like people aren’t really invited in the room,” he said. What he wants to do as the host of the Emmys is to “take the judgment out.”
How to watch the 2021 Emmy Awards — stream the ceremony or watch it live on CBS
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There are a few ways to watch the 2021 Emmy Awards and see Cedric the Entertainer host. One option is to watch them live on CBS. The network is airing the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. The ceremony begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Another option is to stream the awards show on the Paramount+ app.