Jimmy Kimmel, a host of the “Late-night” show, is set to return as the host of the Academy Awards for the second consecutive year and the fourth time overall.
The announcement from the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences revealed Kimmel’s return after successfully hosting the 2023 edition, which garnered 18.7 million viewers, the highest since the pre-pandemic broadcast in 2020, though still the third-lowest recorded viewership.
Kimmel stepped in as host in 2023 after Chris Rock declined the offer to host again, following the notorious incident involving Will Smith’s slap at the 2022 Oscars. His careful and steady approach contributed to stabilizing the Academy Awards, which had experienced years of turbulence.
In addition to hosting in 2023, Kimmel previously hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018, with a notable moment occurring in 2017 when the ceremony ended with the infamous mix-up that mistakenly named “La La Land” as Best Picture in 2018.
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Expressing his humour, Kimmel remarked, “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times.”
The Academy had previously announced that Raj Kapoor would serve as the executive producer and showrunner, with Katy Mullan joining as executive producer and Hamish Hamilton directing. Molly McNearney, executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live and Kimmel’s wife will return for the second consecutive year as an executive producer for the show.
Praising Kimmel, Kapoor and Mullan said,
“Jimmy has cemented himself as one of the all-time great Oscars hosts with his perfect blend of humanity and humor, and Molly is one of the best live TV producers around.”
The 96th Academy Awards are scheduled to air live on ABC on March 10 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
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