Academy Awards 2016 Host Announced; Chris Rock Tweets About Oscars Gig

Chris Rock will host the 2016 Academy Awards on Feb. 28. The comedian took to Twitter to make the announcement, posting a picture of himself holding an Oscar. This will be Rock's second time hosting the Oscars, as he previously hosted in 2005.

Oscars producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin said Rock is going to be a "phenomenal" host. "Chris Rock is truly the MVP of the entertainment industry,” said Hill and Hudlin in a news release. “Comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, documentarian – he’s done it all."

The 50-year-old recently directed Amy Schumer's HBO comedy special "Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo" and he wrote, directed and starred in the film “Top Five." He previously made a name for himself through his standup comedy specials and series, which led to four Emmy wins, including wins for "Chris Rock – Kill the Messenger" and "The Chris Rock Show."

"I'm so glad to be hosting the Oscars,” said Rock in a statement. "It's great to be back."

“Chris may be best known as a stand-up comic, but we think of him as a creative innovator in many other ways. He is unafraid in his artistry,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in a press release. “We couldn’t be happier to welcome him back to the Oscars.”

At the 2005 Academy Awards, "Million Dollar Baby" took home Best Picture that year, while "The Aviator" received the most awards with five. Jamie Foxx was named Best Actor for his role as Ray Charles in "Ray" and Hillary Swank won Best Actress for playing Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald in "Million Dollar Baby."

Since the former "Saturday Night Live" star last hosted, Jon Stewart had the duties twice (2006 and 2008), along with Ellen DeGeneres (2007 and 2014). Actors Hugh Jackman (2009), Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin (2010), James Franco and Anne Hathaway (2011), Billy Crystal (2012) and Seth MacFarlane (2013) also hosted in that time.

Last year's Academy Awards was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. Harris kept the crowd laughing with his musical numbers and constant jokes. He even recreated a scene from Best Picture winner "Birdman," which can be seen below.

The 2016 Academy Award will be held on Feb. 28, 2016. The awards show will air on ABC at 7 p.m. EDT.