Common sense would dictate that if the awards ceremony that you’ll air on your network becomes the subject of numerous controversies before its airdate, then you may be worried. However, if you’re the president of ABC, Karey Burke, then you’re perfectly okay with all the negative press that the Oscars has garnered in the last few months. You know what they say, there’s no such thing as bad press, right?
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Speaking at a TCA event, Burke was asked about the Oscars and if she’s concerned that all the negative publicity would be detrimental to the awards ceremony. As you probably already know, much of the controversy has been the result of Kevin Hart’s hiring (and departure) from the hosting gig, leaving ABC and the Academy scrambling to find a replacement, ultimately deciding to go host-less for the first time in decades.
Then, of course, there’s the recent outrage, led by Lady Gaga, about some of the Best Original Song nominees being excluded from performing. On top of all that, there’s the actual films drawing attention, like “Bohemian Rhapsody” (directed by Bryan Singer, accused of numerous sexual assaults against underage boys), “Green Book” (with its various controversies), and “Black Panther (which has been called undeserving), to name a few.
However, as Burke puts it, that’s just all attention that the Oscars ceremony will benefit from.
“The lack of clarity of the Oscars have kept it in the conversation,” she says (via Deadline). “The mystery has been compelling — it’s fascinating. That shows how relevant the Oscars are. I’m happy that it’s part of the conversation.”
We’ll find out if all of this leads to ratings success when the Oscars airs on February 24. At this rate, there’s probably going to be a couple more controversies before then, anyway.