Have you noticed that the sun has been shining a little more lately? The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming — but that’s not because of the changing seasons. No, it’s because fewer men have hosted awards shows in 2025, and those that have are actually charming, dynamic entertainers.

Sure, there was the Trevor Noah incident at this year’s Grammys — he wasn’t that bad, he was just forgettable, which is arguably worse. If it weren’t for David Tennant’s outstanding performance while hosting the BAFTAs this year for the second time, I would have written off men as hosts entirely. 

But even a traditional-Scottish-kilt-wearing Tennant’s rendition of the Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” can’t beat the momentum that women have built on the awards stages so far in 2025. 

Daily headlines, sent straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest at and around USC.

I have never cared about the Golden Globes until they announced that Nikki Glaser would host the ceremony, marking this January the first time I’ve ever voluntarily tuned in to watch the awards show play out. I didn’t know much about Glaser or her style, but I was intrigued by the choice and wanted to see which route she took to create a narrative for the night’s procession. I was not disappointed. 

Known for her roasts, Glaser didn’t hold back while also serving non-stop looks. Her jabs didn’t feel safe, and yet she walked away relatively unscathed from backlash by virtue of toeing the line, keeping the perfect comedic balance that makes or breaks a host. 

“Saturday Night Live” alum Aidy Bryant held the mic for the second time at the Film Independent Spirit Awards last week. As always, she charmed the masses with her buttery delivery on jokes that get funnier the more they’re picked apart. 

Despite having personal beef with the Screen Actors Guild Awards as a USC student that tried to cross the street at the Hoover and Jefferson intersection last Sunday, Kristen Bell won me over with her hosting performance. This was no small feat, considering I grew up during the peak of “Frozen’s” (2013) popularity with the name Anna and have held a grudge against anyone involved with the making of that film ever since.

All of these awards shows largely serve as opening acts for what is arguably the pinnacle of awards season: the Academy Awards. 

I am admittedly a fan of Conan O’Brien and was excited to see his name slated to be this year’s Oscars host; that being said, it’s hard not to wonder what could have been. In 2025 alone, women have built a beautiful inertia in mass media comedy as awards show hosts, and having a woman host such a highly-esteemed ceremony that pulled in 19.5 million viewers last year would have an undeniable ripple effect on inclusion within the entertainment industry.

This effect is visible in the Oscars’ tradition of hosts alone. In the awards show’s 97-year run, 89 of the ceremonies had appointed hosts. Of those 89, 82 featured primarily men hosts, with Whoopi Goldberg being the first solo woman host in 1994 after 65 years of the Academy Awards. 

Bob Hope’s hosting experiences comprise around 20% of the 89 hosted ceremonies alone. Not only is this a ridiculous statistic, but it also shows how easy it is to slip into a cultural rut of familiarity in both comedy and who the public deems appropriate to represent the entertainment industry at the biggest event of the year. 

However, after Goldberg’s first stint in 1994, seven women have been hosts or co-hosts in the 25 hosted ceremonies that followed Goldberg’s. Though it’s a small portion, going from zero women hosting by themselves to almost 30% being the singular host or one of two hosts of the Oscars is a marked improvement from 65 years of men dominating the mic. 

Like Super Bowl halftime show performers, awards show hosts reflect mass cultural context. Their selections represent broadcasting executives’ reactions to what the general public demands in both humor and value, specifically through social media. 

Even after awards shows happen, they can dominate social media indefinitely depending on their cultural impact. It’s been a year and I’m still seeing GIFs of Emma Stone being surprised at securing a win for Best Actress.

Within the United States, cultural evolution has started to parallel political evolution as more and more Americans align conservatively. Markedly, all the women I’ve mentioned as hosts in 2025 so far are white — this is no coincidence. 

Yes, it is excellent that there has been more representation for women as anchors of pop culture through being awards show hosts. However, the seeming acceptance of white women into the early cultural zeitgeist of 2025 does not mean that women as a whole have gained significant ground in terms of holistic representation.

As representatives of their peers within the entertainment industry, hosts put faces to, introduce or remind people of larger struggles and identities. Whether it’s a host’s sexuality, race or gender identity, laughter and ceremony bridges gaps between entertainers and viewers.

Conan O’Brien, Nikki Glaser and David Tennant are funny entertainers. Aidy Bryant and Kristen Bell are charming, fresh hosts. However, until there is real, intersectional representation among awards show emcees, institutions of recognition like the SAG Awards or the Oscars will continue to reinforce cultural biases that underlie American tradition within the entertainment industry.

Anna Jordan is a sophomore writing about pop culture controversies in her column, “Chronically Online,” which runs every other Thursday. She is also a chief copy editor at the Daily Trojan.