Chris Rock still on board to host Oscars, rewriting monologue to address #OscarsSoWhite
Producer says the comedian threw out draft version after things got "provocative and exciting"
Academy Awards producer Reginald Hudlin says host Chris Rock is hard at work rewriting his material for next month's Oscar show.
Hudlin told Entertainment Tonightat the NAACP Image Awards lunchon Saturday that Rock is eager to host the 88th Academy Awards on Feb. 28, even as a few black celebrities have decided not to attend the show for its lack of diversity.
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Hudlin said Rock had written a draft for the show, but threw it out and started anew as "things got a little provocative and exciting."
Earlier this week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences promised newchanges to the composition of its membership, hoping to introduce more female and minority voices by the year 2020.
This is the second year in a row that all Academy Awardacting nominees are white, which prompted#OscarsSoWhiteto dominate social media and led to calls for Rock to pull out as host in protest.
Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith and acclaimed filmmakerSpike Lee have said they won't attend the upcoming ceremony.