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In the 62 years that the Grammy Awards have been held, the ceremony was hosted by only 20 different people. In that span, there were also 16 years that the biggest event in music was un-hosted, but it never diminished the entertainment value the awards night delivered. It brings us to the idea of how important a host really is when it comes to the Grammys. As an integral part of show business, we'd think the group would have an easy time choosing a host.
Some simply don’t want to host an awards show, while others aren’t wanted. Though no one can please everyone, some hosts were widely panned as failures while others received nearly across the board approval.
Ellen DeGeneres (Best)
This phenomenal talk show host has a talent for hosting, that's a fact. Her own talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show is breaking barriers and every kind of record. every year it seems. She is also one of the best-ever Oscar Awards hosts, and she's even breaking records outside her own show; check out this Oscar selfie she took at the 2014 ceremonies. Before she had that gig, she had plenty of practice with the Grammys. Ellen hosted the event back to back at the 38th and 39th Grammy Awards. We only wish she'd host again soon and take a Grammy version of that famous selfie.
Kenny Rogers (Worst)
Kenny Rogers undoubtedly had more restaurants with his name on them than Grammy trophies. The famous country singer snagged three of these trophies back in the late seventies through the eighties. He also had the honor of roasting, er... hosting the ceremony twice in his illustrious career.
The first was in 1980, where he was also awarded Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "The Gambler." The second was in 1986, where at least he didn't suspend an award with a 7-minute singing montage and managed to drag along poor Donna Summer with his blunder of a performance. That's just too long and too much Kenny, even with Donna beside him.
Andy Williams (Best)
As the 2020 Grammy Awards is nearing, we can't help but wonder where it all started. Singer Andy Williams was the host of the first televised Grammy Awards. Next year will be the 62nd Grammys and Andy Williams started hosting the televised ceremonies at the 13th Grammys, almost 50 years ago. We might be remembering him now that it's Christmas season, with establishments looping some of his Christmas songs, especially “It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” He was so good as a charismatic host and a legitimate musical artist that he ended up hosting 7 straight years from 1971 to 1977. Williams was mentioned in a 2018 LA Times article commemorating 60 years of the Grammy Award-giving body.
Jon Stewart (Worst)
At a time when Eminem, Christina Aguilera, Faith Hill, and N' Sync were ruling the music industry Jon Stewart was making a throne for himself in comedy TV. The ultra-smart comic landed the job of hosting the 2001 Grammys. It was sudden and he only had about a week or so to prepare for it. Naturally, there were mixed reviews with his performance as host, he wasn't that bad but he was not great either. His most notable shows were The Daily Show from Comedy Central and MTV's The Jon Stewart Show. Also, his quick-witted sketches and silver-tongued stand-ups were maybe too controversial for some people. But his efforts in supporting the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund as reported by CNN can never be too much.
James Corden (Best)
Many of James Corden's antics in his The Late Late Show with James Corden is musically-inspired, with the Carpool Karaoke skits being a special gem. These segments won two Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series. That's exactly what he did in his hosting stint at the Grammy Awards in 2017 and 2018. Corden is talented, as most talk show hosts are, but his passion for music is endearing. Starring in musical films seemed like fun for him with Into The Woods, Trolls, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats. He was a fresh new change after LL Cool J's epic run as the Grammy host. Now James has moved on to another hosting gig, the 2020 Tonys.
Paul Reiser (Worst)
Paul Buchman is mad about Jamie Buchman, and for 7 seasons we were also mad about the couple on the show Mad About You. But it seemed that the critics and viewers weren't so mad about Paul Reiser hosting the Grammy Awards in 1995. He was adorable in the TV show but it's not the same case on the Grammy stage. This was the mid-nineties, a time we were crazy about Aerosmith and when all we "wanna do is have some fu"n with Sheryl Crow, and in the middle of it all was a middle-aged comedian that seemed a bit out of place. Although Mad About You is making a comeback, no one would wish for a Paul Reiser comeback as a Grammy host.
LL Cool J (Best)
With the exception of Andy Williams, LL Cool J was the host with the longest hosting streak for the Grammy Awards. He hosted the event for five straight years from 2012 to 2016. This was after the no-host hiatus the award-giving organization had for six years. Not only did the rapper and actor, do a righteous job of hosting and performing, he also proved the importance of having a host and made the show entertaining again. His speeches were heartfelt, and he always collaborated with the most surprising artists in the industry. A recent article by Deadline confirms that LL Cool J's next hosting gig will be at the upcoming Kennedy Center Honors, we wonder if he'll be allowed to drop the mic there.
Kelsey Grammer (Worst)
Kelsey Grammer is one of the rare breed of traditional actors who can do it all. He has a nice powerful voice for acting, a comedian, producer, director, and writer. He's done it all and won it all, but he didn't win everyone's hearts as a Grammy Awards host in 1998.
The Emmy, Golden Globe, and Tony Award winner couldn't get over the awkwardness of an image of himself standing between Jamiroquai and Hanson to pose for pictures, it's truly visual insanity. Even Frasier Crane wouldn't make out anything of significance from that picture if it's presented as a Rorschach test card. Rolling Stone affirms our observations as they ranked him as one of the worst, too.
Alicia Keys (Best)
A hard part of being a host is following a great performance by the last one, but the hardest role is topping your own hosting performance. This is what Alicia Keys and her creative team are probably brainstorming now. Alicia Keys is no stranger to the Grammy stage, having won 15 awards herself, including Best New Artist in 2002. She's a star, a true artist, and the organization is surely honored to have her host again next year. She was such a performer that her two-piano set and covers last year made it to #6 of the Washington Post's 2019 Grammy best performances. We just can't wait for what she has in store for us at the 62nd Grammy Awards.
Whoopi Goldberg (Worst)
Whoopi will always be Whoopi. She's that crazy nun in Sister Act. She's that phony but real psychic in Ghost. She's always in the middle of the Hollywood Squares. She's that entertainer with an EGOT. EGOT stands for Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar, and Tony awards. Very few people on this list are as well-known and loved like her, not to mention very few people are on the EGOT list. The problem with hosting the Grammys was Whoopi being herself, Whoopi jokes delivered by Whoopi. If you wanted a two-piano performance of rap and rock mash-up, that's Alicia and LL. The Oscars would be fine by it, but this is the Grammys, people wanted more than just Whoopi.