Jimmy Kimmel has been revealed as the host for the upcoming Academy Awards, marking his fourth time hosting the prestigious event and second consecutive year, according to an announcement from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Wednesday.
Broadcaster ABC has once again chosen its late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, for the upcoming Academy Awards. This decision comes after Kimmel successfully hosted the 2023 ceremony, which garnered 18.7 million viewers, the highest since the pre-pandemic broadcast in 2020 but still the third lowest on record. Following the controversial incident involving Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Kimmel presided over a careful ceremony that played a crucial role in steadying the Academy Awards, which had experienced a period of instability in previous years.
Kimmel hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018. ‘I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,’ Kimmel said in a statement.
While Jimmy Kimmel is making strides in the Oscar hosting record books, he is still far from claiming the title of the most frequent emcee. That distinction goes to Bob Hope, who hosted a record 19 times either individually or as a co-host. Following closely is Billy Crystal, who hosted nine times, all within the years 1990 to 2012.
The Academy had previously revealed that Raj Kapoor would take on the roles of executive producer and showrunner, with Katy Mullan as executive producer and Hamish Hamilton as the director. Molly McNearney, the executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live and also Jimmy Kimmel's wife, will be returning for the second consecutive year to serve as an executive producer for the show.
Kapoor and Mullan expressed in a statement that Jimmy has solidified his position as one of the most exceptional Oscars hosts, combining humanity and humor seamlessly. They also praised Molly, stating that she is among the top live TV producers.
The 96th Academy Awards are scheduled to be broadcast live on ABC on March 10th from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
