Jimmy Kimmel hosting Oscars for 4th time

Jimmy Kimmel has been announced as the host of the 96th Academy Awards, marking the fourth time in eight years that he will take the Oscars stage.

In a statement, Jimmy Kimmel said of his upcoming Academy Awards gig, “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times.” This number puts him in the company of Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon, although Lemmon only hosted by himself twice. And while Kimmel does say – at least jokingly – that he’ll stop at four, one more would tie him with Johnny Carson. Interestingly, he has hosted the Primetime Emmys three times, also just one under Carson. This will be Kimmel’s second back-to-back go at the job.

Jimmy Kimmel’s three previous turns as Oscar host featured some iconic moments, most notably the Best Picture mix-up in which La La Land was mistakenly named as the top winner of the night before it was rightfully bestowed on Moonlight. Last year, Kimmel had the responsibility of addressing the previous year’s Slap Heard ‘Round the Dolby. Here, he took the AMPAS to task over their lack of action, saying, “If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony, just do what you did last year — nothing. Just sit there and do absolutely nothing. Maybe even give the assailant a hug.” No doubt that ceremony’s bump in ratings – something the show has struggled with – came from anticipation in what Kimmel might say.

In addition to Moonlight, the films that have won Best Picture while Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars were The Shape of Water and Everything Everywhere All at Once, which took home seven awards that night. This year the main competition will be between Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, with many predicting Nolan to take home his first Best Director statue. Which movie do you think will take home Best Picture?

The 96th Academy Awards air on March 10th, 2024, live on ABC.

How do you feel about Jimmy Kimmel hosting the Oscars for the fourth time? Has he earned the privilege of repeated duties? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.