Harrison Ford forced to take an exit from presenting at Academy Awards

Hollywood superstar Harrison Ford has reportedly stepped down from presenting at the upcoming Academy Awards. The Indiana Jones star was originally set to take the stage at Sunday night’s Oscars but made a last-minute exit due to a shingles diagnosis received on Friday, according to Variety.

Shingles is a non-life-threatening but incurable viral infection that causes a painful rash. It often appears as a stripe of blisters wrapping around either the left or right side of the torso. Ford’s absence comes as a disappointment to fans who were looking forward to seeing him at the prestigious event. Entertainment Weekly was the first to break the news of his withdrawal.

Despite Ford’s exit, the Oscars stage will still see a star-studded lineup of presenters. As per Variety, those confirmed to appear at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre include Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb, Bowen Yang, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Bautista, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Alba Rohrwacher, Zoe Saldana, and Rachel Zegler. Miles Teller and Miley Cyrus were also recently announced as presenters, with the Academy confirming their participation on Friday.

This year’s Oscars will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The ceremony is executive produced by showrunner Raj Kapoor, alongside Katy Mullan and Rob Pain. Producers include Sarah Levine Hall, Taryn Hurd, Jeff Ross, and Mike Sweeney, while Hamish Hamilton will serve as director.