Steve Martin doesn't want to host the Oscars, not that he's been asked

In the interview, he says he was the least nervous to host the Oscars with Alec Baldwin because he “had someone else out there with me,” which is how he feels about performing comedy with Short. However, he and his co-star and collaborator are decidedly not interested in taking on the Academy Awards. “That represents so much work for us. And we love our summers,” Martin says. “When I hosted before, I started working months ahead of time. And now I have a completely different life. I’m not as free. It’s a lot of work and we’re working.”

Just to drive the point home, Martin shares an Oscars joke he thought was funny but never used: “I’ll come out and say, ‘I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, ‘Steve, how did you get to host the Oscars?’ It was easy. I just called my agent and I said, ‘Get me something thankless.'” He really means thankless: “They don’t pay, either. The Golden Globes pay, so they get Tina Fey and Amy [Poehler]. And Ricky Gervais,” he said. (And, despite paying, nobody really wants that job either.) “The Oscars should pay. When you consider the amount of work, it’s at least several months of mental churning.”