LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Comedian Seth MacFarlane said on Tuesday that he would not host the star-studded Academy Awards ceremony again, after TV critics panned Sunday’s show.
“Family Guy” creator and star MacFarlane was asked on Twitter whether he would host the Oscars a second time after making his debut in Sunday’s show, and replied: “No way. Lotta fun to have done it, though.”
MacFarlane’s response came after TV critics slammed the telecast, in which 40.3 million Americans saw Iran hostage thriller “Argo” take home the top prize for Best Picture.
In a night of risqué jokes about female nudity and zingers about gays and Jews, MacFarlane, 39, poked fun at himself in an opening sketch with William Shatner and the “Star Trek” star told him he was in danger of being deemed “the worst Oscar host ever.”
While some critics lashed out at MacFarlane’s hosting, others placed more blame on the overall song-and-dance-heavy show, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, which ran for 3 1/2 hours.
MacFarlane’s appeal among young people did though provide an 11 percent bump in the 18-49 demographic coveted by TV networks and advertisers. And overall viewer ratings were up, making for the largest Oscar audience in three years.
MacFarlane was also a hit on social media, where 13 percent of conversation across Facebook, Twitter and blogs rated him the “best host ever” according to social media research firm Fizziology.
MacFarlane, the creator and voice star of Fox network’s animated shows “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show,” made his directorial debut on the big screen with the R-rated comedy “Ted” last year.
He is currently working on his next project – writing and directing a live action comedy film “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” starring Amanda Seyfried and Charlize Theron.
