The star and comedian is emceeing the event for the first time, saying, "Now it's time to rise to the occasion."

Kevin Hart is officially set to host the 91st Academy Awards ceremony. "I will be sure to make this years Oscars a special one," the comedian wrote Tuesday afternoon in an Instagram post, adding, "now it's time to rise to the occasion." The star is emceeing the event for the first time. First-time producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss will oversee the show, with Gigliotti serving as producer and Weiss on hand as co-producer and director.

Earlier on Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had held talks with the comedian about hosting the February ceremony. "I appreciate @TheAcademy for the opportunity," wrote Hart in his post, adding, "For years I have been asked if I would ever Host the Oscars and my answer was always the same...I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it's suppose to." The last two Oscar shows were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and produced by Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd. But each year ratings declined, with a record-low 26.5 million viewers tuning in for last March's broadcast, which adds to the pressure the new team will face in mounting the kudocast.