LOS ANGELES — Comedian Eddie Murphy stepped down Wednesday as host for the 84th annual Academy Awards ceremony, one day after the show’s producer Brett Ratner resigned following an uproar over his use of a homophobic slur.
“First and foremost I want to say that I completely understand and support each party’s decision with regard to a change of producers for this year’s Academy Awards ceremony,” Murphy said in a statement.
Murphy signed on as host in September and was reportedly producer Ratner’s first choice to headline the ceremony.
“I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I’m sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job,” Murphy added.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) president Tom Sherak responded he could “appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well.”
Ratner resigned Tuesday as producer of the ceremony after his use of the slur at a Nov. 4 screening of his latest film, “Tower Heist,” starring Murphy, in Los Angeles. The 42-year-old producer responded to a question from an audience member about what rehearsals for the film were like with stars Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck and Murphy by saying “rehearsal is for f*gs.”
He apologized in a statement Monday, admitting it was “a dumb way of expressing myself.”
Ratner, director of the “Rush Hour” series and “X-Men: The Last Stand,” was announced in August as the producer of the 2012 ceremony.
Courtesy of nypost.com
