What happened to Billy Crystal, the eternal host of the Oscars?
Billy Crystal has hosted the Oscars nine times... but since 2012, he has not been asked to lead the ceremony.
The 95th Academy Awards scheduled for Sunday, 12 March, are just around the corner.
This event brings together millions of viewers around the world, and nine times, the job of leading those present and at home through the ceremony has fallen to Billy Crystal.
The actor, known for his roles in films such as ‘The Princess Bride’ or ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ has been somewhat absent from public life in the last ten years, leaving many to wonder what happened to one of the best-known personalities of the late 90s and early 2000s.
The 2012 Oscars, the last edition he presented
The 2012 Oscars was the last to be hosted by Crystal. During the gala, he imitated Sammy Davis Jr in blackface, which generated a massive wave of justifiable outrage. And it doesn’t end there since this poor attempt at comedy was not the only joke that led to accusations of racism. After Octavia Spencer won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, the Crystal made a comment that raised many blisters. “After seeing ‘The Help,’ I wanted to hug the first black woman I saw, which is a 45-minute drive from Beverly Hills.”
Age, one of the possible reasons for his absence
In addition to his comments made at the Oscars in 2012, some have pointed to Crystal’s age for his dwindling presence in public life. Also, in 2012, he appeared on the big screen with the film ‘Parental Guidance’ with Bette Midler as a co-star.
In an interview with the New York Times in 2013, Crystal focused on how old the pair were and how hard it was to convince movie studio executives to take on the film.
“When you get to a certain age, they — hmmm — hesitate a bit,” continuing on to add that he knew that millions of older viewers are waiting “story for them.”
A health problem postponed their commitments in 2017
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that, in the summer of 2017, Crystal announced that he was suffering from health issues that forced him to reduce his public appearances. In fact, Crystal made the announcement on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, the man set to host the Oscars this year.
The family, a pillar in his life
On the other hand, Crystal’s decision to stay out of the lime light may have been made to protect his family. The actor has long spoken about the importance and stability his family has provided him throughout his career.
In 2013, he spoke to The Guardian and was open about the role of these relationships in his life.
“My family is the most important thing in my life. When we’re all together you just stop worrying about things you shouldn’t worry about and you go, ‘Wow, look what we did,’” explained Crystal.
The return to the theater and the writing of several books, among his projects
Also, that year Crystal, who had a long career in Hollywood, took a break from the big screen and returned to the stage with the play ‘700 Sundays ‘, which was performed on Broadway. This work, which was autobiographical, described Sundays the interpreter had spent with their father.
Likewise, Crystal hasn’t limited himself to acting in recent years... he has also taken up writing, publishing five books over the last few years. Two of them, ‘I Already Know I Love You’ and ‘Grandpa’s Little One’, published in 2004 and 2006, respectively, are children’s books.