Oscars 2016: Producer insists Chris Rock not quitting hosting gig

Over the past few weeks, much has been said in regards to the Oscars nominating only white actors in the primary four acting categories, and to go along with that, several prominent names have decided to not attend the ceremony as a boycott. The most famous name was Spike Lee, a filmmaker who was only recently honored by the Academy for his career.

As a result of all of this, there has been some pressure among some to have Chris Rock drop out as host as his own way of protesting. However, that doesn’t appear to be happening. Speaking to “Entertainment Tonight,” show producer Reginald Hudlin insisted that in some ways, the controversy has led to Rock getting in and writing a very different show for the night. Not only that, but the Academy expects that they will be ridiculed heavy by him over the course of the show for some of their choices:

“Yes, the academy is ready for him to do that … They’re excited about him doing that. They know that’s what we need. They know that’s what the public wants, and we deliver what the people want.”

Will any of this change the diversity problem that the awards-show has in the long run? That is to be seen, since it really comes down to the people casting the ballots and whether or not they feel someone is worthy of a nomination in their eyes. With that said, we do know that the Academy has taken some steps to improve the diversity problem, changing the membership process and vowing to increase the number of women and minority voters.