Dwayne Johnson claims he was first choice for Oscars host

Dwayne Johnson has claimed that he was the first choice to host this year’s Oscars ceremony, but he couldn’t make the dates work because he was shooting Jumanji 2.

The Rock was chatting with fans online, when one suggested that he should have been tapped for the presenting role.

He replied: Ah mahalo dude (a Hawaiian greeting), I was their first choice to host this year, and my goal was to make it the most fun and entertaining Oscars ever.

“We all tried hard, but couldn’t make it work since I’m shooting Jumanji. Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road.”

How Kevin Hart feels about this, we don’t know.

Hart was announced as the host of this year’s ceremony last month, but less than 48 hours later, pulled out after footage of him telling homophobic jokes during a comedy special emerged online.

It means that for only the second time ever, the Oscars will go ahead without a central host, bringing in various other stars to present instead.

Ellen DeGeneres tried to get the Academy to change its mind, interviewing Hart and appearing to absolve the comedian of any wrong-doing, an exercise which spectacularly backfired.

But the strange thing about The Rock’s claim, is that Hart is also in the Jumanji sequel, the project he says got in the way of the Oscars gig.

Yet somehow, Hart was available.

Perhaps they’re in different scenes on that day? Or maybe The Rock is just gently trolling his co-star?

We may never know the truth.

The Oscars, featuring a host of guest presenters including Daniel Craig, Whoopi Goldberg, Jennifer Lopez, Amandla Stenberg, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Tessa Thompson, and Brie Larson, happens on February 24.

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