Kevin Hart will be the host of the 2019 Academy Awards, fulfilling a lifelong dream for the actor-comedian.
Hart announced his selection for the 91st Oscars in an Instagram statement Tuesday. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences followed up with a tweet that welcomed him "to the family."
Welcome to the family, @kevinhart4real! #Oscars https://t.co/vfcxAeJlwQ
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) December 5, 2018
The announcement came hours after trade publication The Hollywood Reporter posted a story calling the Oscars host position "the least wanted job in Hollywood."
Hart clearly doesn't feel that way, writing on Instagram that it has been on his list of dream jobs for years. The 2019 Oscars will be broadcast Feb. 24 on ABC.
"I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time...To be able to join the legendary list of host that have graced this stage is unbelievable,'' Hart wrote. ``I know my mom is smiling from ear to ear right now."
Hart declared his intention to one day host the Academy Awards when he was invited to the ceremony for the first time in 2015.
with a file from Siobhan Morris