Oprah Winfrey was an icon of few words Friday night ... in fact, she was an icon of just one word ... "NO!"
We got O in New York City entering the Whitby Hotel and asked if she'd be open to hosting the Oscars if the Academy asked her. Her thumbs-down answer is unequivocal, but the way she delivers it is even more telling.
It seems like a no-win for just about anyone who takes the gig after the Kevin Hart debacle. Hart is still taking heat for his homophobic comments years ago, and the Academy is also taking a beating for putting its collective finger up and seeing which way the wind was blowing.
As you know, the Academy tapped Kevin for the job, knowing full well he had made homophobic comments -- they had been widely reported in the past. When people started criticizing the choice, the Academy got immediately righteous and demanded another apology.