Amid calls for Chris Rock to step down in protest as host of the Oscars, the comedian is reportedly set on using his platform to address the Academy's diversity problems head-on, and is currently completely rewriting his monologue to reflect the #OscarsSoWhite backlash.

Reginald Hudlin, the producer of this year's Academy Awards telecast, revealed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that Rock would not be giving up his hosting duties. Instead, Hudlin told ET that when Rock heard about the planned boycotts of stars including Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith, he decided to scrap his already-finished monologue and start from scratch.

"Chris is hard at work. He and his writing staff locked themselves in a room," Hudlin told ET. "As things got a little provocative and exciting, he said, 'I'm throwing out the show I wrote and writing a new show.'"

According to the producer, the Academy has given Rock its blessing to address the diversity backlash, and Rock plans on doing so.

"You should expect [#OscarsSoWhite jokes]," Hudlin promised ET. "And, yes, the Academy is ready for him to do that. They're excited about him doing that. They know that's what we need. They know that's what the public wants, and we deliver what the people want."

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Rock's publicist, Leslie Sloane, attempted to walk back some of Hudlin's remarks, telling the trade, "neither he nor anyone else speaks for Chris."

"Chris has made no decisions about the content of the show," Sloane's statement continued. "All will be revealed on February 28th."

We can't wait to hear what he has to say.

[via: Entertainment Tonight, The Hollywood Reporter]

Photo credit: The Oscars