Whoopi Goldberg Gave Oscar Host Regina Hall Some A+ Advice About The Gig

Whoopi Goldberg hosting the Oscars in 1994 and Regina Hall in Girls Trip
(Image credit: ABC/Universal Pictures)

In just three weeks, we’ll see the first Oscars hosts in three years in Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. The trio of women are headlining the big award show, marking the first time each of them have emceed the ceremony. Ahead of the 94th Academy Awards, Regina Hall has shared that Whoopi Goldberg offered advice about how to put on a good show. 

It’s been a rough few years for the Oscars. Between the awards show being constantly criticized for its nominations, to the show’s ratings continually diminishing, the hosting gig has been called a “thankless” job by numerous people in the industry. However, Regina Hall is remaining positive, sharing that she went to Whoopi Goldberg about how to approach Hollywood’s big night. In Hall’s words:    

She did it four times, which is incredible. The thing with Whoopi is she's so generous... The biggest thing [she said] was to have fun and celebrate why you're there. Celebrate the nominees, the movies, the films, and keep the show moving, which I know people obviously want, you know? She really wanted me to have a lot of fun with it on stage.

It sounds like Regina Hall went to the right person regarding Oscar host advice. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Hall shared that the biggest point Whoopi Goldberg shared to her was to have “a lot of fun” on stage, along with truly celebrating the movies of the year and keeping things moving along. It’s solid advice. 

Whoopi Goldberg was the last Black woman to host the Oscars all the way back in 2002 when A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture. Goldberg has been a frequent host, previously emceeing the ceremony in 1999, 1996 and 1994. She was also the first sole female host to headline the Academy Awards. Ellen DeGeneres is still the only other female talent to take on the role on her own for the night. 

Regina Hall is well known for her comedic roles in Girls Trip and the Scary Movie franchise. She’ll be joined by two talented comedians, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. During Hall’s interview, the actress shared how it feels being paired with these other women:

It's been a wild couple of years, and so for us, we just really wanna have and make a great night for the audience. It's historical, you know, to have three women [hosting], and it's Women's History Month, so we are like, 'This is all coming together. It's a fun time, and it's also interesting to see how great their minds are, you know? How they think, watching them work, it's kinda like fitting a puzzle together but with millions of people watching.

When asked which of the three might “stir the pot the most” on the night itself with their jokes, Regina Hall said she thinks that there will “probably be three different kinds of pots being stirred.” Before we see Hall in the Oscars, a very different project is coming up for her. She stars in Master, which will be available to stream for those with an Amazon Prime subscription next Friday, March 18. 

Master is a horror movie about two Black women who begin to share disturbing experiences at a predominantly white New England college. The movie has received early praise from critics. You can check out Regina Hall co-host the Oscars at the 2022 Academy Awards, airing on ABC on Sunday, March 27. Check out the list of nominations here on CinemaBlend. 

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.