Harrison Ford steps out of Academy Awards presentation due to health issue

Hollywood icon Harrison Ford has withdrawn from presenting at the upcoming Academy Awards, stepping away from his scheduled appearance at Sunday night’s ceremony.

According to Variety, Ford’s unexpected exit comes after he was diagnosed with shingles on Friday. The Indiana Jones star’s absence is a disappointment for his fans, who were looking forward to seeing him on stage.

Shingles is a viral infection that is not life-threatening but has no known cure. It causes a painful rash, typically appearing as a single band of blisters along one side of the torso.

Despite his absence, a star-studded lineup of presenters remains set to take the stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre for the 97th Academy Awards. As per Variety, those still confirmed to present 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. The Academy also announced on Friday that Miles Teller and Miley Cyrus would be joining the roster of presenters.

This year’s Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place on March 4, starting at 4 p.m. PT. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC, with an additional streaming option on Hulu, marking the first time the event will be available on the platform.

The Academy Awards are being executive produced by showrunner Raj Kapoor, along with Katy Mullan and Rob Pain. Other producers include Sarah Levine Hall, Taryn Hurd, Jeff Ross, and Mike Sweeney, while Hamish Hamilton is set to direct the broadcast.