In a surprising turn of events, American TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel has confirmed his return as the host for the upcoming 96th Oscars ceremony, despite expressing initial reluctance. Kimmel, who previously hosted the Academy Awards in 2017, 2018, and last year, shared with the Los Angeles Times that he “did not think [he] would ever do it again.”
Kimmel’s first stint as host in 2017 gained notoriety when the wrong film, “La La Land,” was mistakenly announced as the Best Picture winner instead of “Moonlight.” Reflecting on the challenges of hosting the Oscars, Kimmel acknowledged the difficulty of engaging an audience that may not have seen the nominated films. He revealed, “I made a joke about ‘Moonlight’ that made it clear to me that the vast majority of the room had not seen the movie, even though it won Best Picture.”
Despite these challenges, Kimmel’s perspective changed last year after watching the highly anticipated film ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ The fact that the audience had likely seen the movie made the hosting job more appealing to him. Even after this change of heart, Kimmel anticipated that his involvement would conclude. However, a viewing of the movie ‘Barbie’ left him contemplating hosting once again, as it provided a common reference point with the audience.
“I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,” Kimmel humorously remarked upon being named the host in November. With this upcoming event, Kimmel will become the fourth-most frequent host in Oscars history, trailing behind Bob Hope (19), Billy Crystal (9), and Johnny Carson (5).
Notably, Molly McNearney, Kimmel’s wife and co-head writer for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” is also an executive producer for the Oscars show. Meanwhile, George Santos has recently filed a lawsuit against Jimmy Kimmel, alleging that the late-night host deceived him into creating videos for the purpose of mockery.
The 96th Oscars are scheduled to be broadcast live on ABC on March 10 from the iconic Dolby Theatre.