A day after the sudden departure of the Academy Awards’ co-producer, Brett Ratner, Eddie Murphy has stepped down from hosting the show as well. The elaborately-planned event was left scrambling as Brian Grazer, a prominent film producer, stepped in to repair the damage. Mr. Ratner stepped down on Tuesday amid uproar over his use of an anti-gay slur. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation criticized Ratner’s remark, as did Academy members and news-media commentators.
Mr. Murphy, who had worked with Ratner on his latest film, “Tower Heist,” made the decision on Wednesday to step down. With Murphy gone, the Academy is once more faced with the question of who should hose the telecast.
