In an effort to move past the controversy still roiling around its most recent edition, the Oscars’ largest award presentation will once again be hosted by late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel, organizers announced on Monday.
After the last Academy Awards, which were held in March of this year, included a dramatic incident in which Will Smith smacked Chris Rock live on stage, the industry views Kimmel as a reliable host for the 95th Academy Awards.
“Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap,” said Kimmel in a statement.
“Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said ‘no,'” joked the host, best known for ABC’s long-running late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
The Oscars were previously hosted by Kimmel in 2017 and 2018. Before “Moonlight” received the night’s final Oscar, “La La Land” was inadvertently declared the best picture winner on the first of those instances.
Additionally, he received almost universal acclaim for presenting the 2020 Emmy Awards for television when producers rushed to put on a socially detached event from an almost empty Los Angeles auditorium early in the pandemic.
The producers of the upcoming Oscars, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, said that Jimmy Kimmel “would be witty and ready for anything!”
Kimmel would be the “ideal host” for the award show, according to Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang, who cited his “live TV ability.”
Craig Erwich, head of ABC Entertainment, asserted that Kimmel “can tackle anything with both heart and humor.”
Like almost all award ceremonies, the ratings for the Oscars have sharply decreased in recent years; however, they rose to 16.6 million viewers last year from a record-low 9.9 million for the previous edition.
It received a lot of attention when Smith hit comedian Rock for making a joke about his wife’s hair loss problem, but some felt it overshadowed the night’s winners.
Plans to “reinvigorate” the Oscars and “bring them back to a position of power, prestige, and importance” were outlined by Kramer in a September meeting with Academy members. These plans included a renewed emphasis on “love and reverence for film.”
While smaller, more arthouse-focused films have dominated the Oscars recently, many pundits believe blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” could take center stage in the future.
On March 12, 2023, the Oscars will be hosted at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
