Perhaps encouraged that last year's biggest VMA statement was made by a fashionable butcher shop, not a highly paid celebrity, MTV has decided to make a bold move with this year's host: not having one at all.
Following last year's solid, baby bump-mocking performance by Chelsea Handler, the network, as of early Tuesday, was on a hunt for another big hit, executive producer Amy Doyle told Billboard.
"It's going down to the wire. Hosting is such a unique element," she said. "We feel we got it right by putting new talent on the stage like Chelsea and Russell (Brand). We're really challenging ourselves to find the right person so that the show feels complete."
Apparently, they weren't up to the challenge, as the website updated their story to reveal that there will be no host. Still, that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of star power when the show airs Sunday night; MTV's website boasts that performances from Adele, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Young The Giant and Pitbull are scheduled, with Doyle promising Billboard that more names are on the way.
Of course, we've heard that promise before -- within the same article.
Still, the lack of a host bites into a tradition that has seen some of the biggest names in show business take the microphone, for better or worse. Dan Akroyd and Bette Middler shared the duties in 1984 (hey, they were big names then), while Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Ben Stiller all made memorable splashes, with Rock doing so three times. More recently, Russell Brand introduced himself to America with unexpectedly, hilariously insulting masterwork, though the Jonas Brothers may not have agreed at the time.
For more on the show, click over to Billboard.