Gal Gadot officially asked to host 2019 Eurovision in Israel
‘Wonder Woman’ star yet to confirm acceptance, sources say that scheduling conflicts make it unlikely she will be available
Israeli actress Gal Gadot was officially invited by Israel’s Kan public broadcaster to host the 2019 Eurovision Song Competition which is set to be held in Israel, Hebrew media reported Monday.
Although she has not yet responded to the request, sources close to the “Wonder Woman” star told Ynet news site that due to scheduling conflicts it is unlikely she will be able to accept.
Gadot is on board to to play Diana Prince in the sequel to “Wonder Woman,” which is tentatively set to be released on December 13, 2019.
Gadot’s name was raised as a possible host as soon as Israel won the 2018 contest on May 19 with the song “Toy” by Netta Barzilai.
In an Instagram post during the contest’s final, Gadot encouraged her nearly 20 million Instagram followers to “Vote for Netta!”
And in a post after Barzilai’s victory Gadot wrote: “You represent the real wonder in women. So much Truth, confidence and talent. You stand for diversity and you bring fresh beautiful light to the world. and thank you all for voting!!!“
Gadot can be heard on the video saying “What a sweetie, how cute, what a champion.”
According to the annual competition’s rules, the winning country hosts the following year’s contest.
It is likely that the event will be held in Jerusalem in May, but the Eurovision organizers tweeted last week that people should not book their tickets just yet, fueling speculation that it may be held elsewhere.
Are you already looking forward to next year’s #Eurovision? Us too! But don’t go booking your flights just yet, for official updates on where and when it’ll take place, keep an eye out for announcements on our official channels.
????: Thomas Hanses pic.twitter.com/O2sp3WOXvJ— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 22, 2018
On Friday it was reported that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) held secret meetings with Kan and said its main concern about holding the event in the capital was that several countries may not participate.
Israel has hosted the Eurovision contest twice before in Jerusalem, a city that most countries do not recognize as Israel’s capital. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the Eurovision will be hosted in Jerusalem.
JTA contributed to this report.
