Jimmy Kimmel hosts the 89th Academy Awards on Feb. 26, 2017.Photo:Eddy Chen/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Eddy Chen/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Jimmy Kimmel’s upcomingOscarsgig wasn’t initially on his 2024 bingo card.
“I did not think I would ever do it again,” Kimmel, 56, told theLos Angeles Timesof hosting the 96th ceremony next month, marking his fourth total time as emcee and second consecutive year.
“I did two of them, and they went well — something crazy happened at one of them with a story I’ll have for the rest of my life,” reflected the late-night personality, who first hosted the Academy Awards in 2017 whenLa La Landwas mistakenly announced as the winner of Best Picture overMoonlight. He returned to host in 2018, took a five-year hiatus, and then returned to lead the show in 2023.
“I know how much work goes into [the Oscars], so I thought, ‘Yeah, I don’t necessarily want to do this ever again,' " Kimmel added of the job.
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Jimmy Kimmel in Los Angeles on Jan. 29, 2024.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Kimmel saidTop Gun: Maverickchanged his mind about hosting in 2023, explaining, “I knew there was a movie that people had seen, and it just makes the job easier.”
This year, another film gave him a similar feeling. “I am sitting in a movie theater watchingBarbieand thinking, ‘Well, maybe I’ll do this again, because at least I have a point of reference with everyone,' " he said of theGreta Gerwig-directed hit adventure comedy, whichis up for eight awards.
“I made a joke aboutMoonlightthat made it clear to me that the vast majority of the room had not seen the movie, even though it won Best Picture,” Kimmel recalled of a lesson he learned during his first year hosting.
The Academyannounced Kimmel’s return as hostin November 2023. He joked in a release at the time, “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times.”
Jimmy Kimmel hosts the 95th Oscars on March 12, 2023, in Hollywood, California.Kevin Winter/Getty
“We are thrilled about Jimmy returning to host and Molly returning as executive producer for the Oscars. They share our love of movies and our commitment to producing a dynamic and entertaining show for our global audience,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang.
Kramer and Yang continued in their statement, “We are deeply grateful to Jimmy, Molly and their teams for their incredible creativity and partnership and for going on this ride with us again.”
source: people.com
