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Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night comedian, will host the Oscars for the fourth time, organizers said Wednesday.
Kimmel will host Hollywood’s largest awards event for the second year in a row, following a resurgence in television ratings at last year’s well-received presentation.
“I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,” joked Kimmel, in a statement issued by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and broadcaster ABC.
Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, executive producers of the Oscars, praised Kimmel as “one of the all-time great Oscars hosts,” praising his “perfect blend of humanity and humor.”
The 96th Academy Awards will be place on March 10 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.
Kimmel previously presented the show in 2017 and 2018 — a ceremony that ended with the infamous mix-up in which “La La Land” was mistakenly named best picture.
He was reintroduced for the 2023 edition. Kimmel was largely regarded as a safe set of hands, which was greatly needed after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage the previous year for making a joke about his wife.
The March ceremony began with Kimmel being lowered into the stage as two US Navy planes soared overhead, and at one point, the emcee was accompanied to the platform by a small emotional support donkey.
For the second year in a row, Oscars television ratings improved, with 18.7 million viewers tuning in to see smash sci-fi film “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” dominate the proceedings.
The growing trend is a welcome boost for live awards programs, which have been losing viewers as they battle for attention with streamers and social media highlight snippets.
This year, Hollywood is still reeling from the first dual strike by actors and writers in 60 years, which paralyzed the industry for months.
