Jimmy Kimmel to Return as Host for 96th Academy Awards: 'Dreamed of Hosting the Oscars Exactly Four Times'

This will be the late-night talk show star’s fourth time hosting the event after hosting last year’s record-breaking Academy Awards

Jimmy Kimmel will once again grace the Dolby Theater stage!

The late-night talk show star, 56, is set to return to host the 96th Academy Awards, the Academy announced Wednesday.

“It’s always been my dream to host the Academy Awards exactly four times,” Kimmel said in the post.

Kimmel will also be joined at this year’s ceremony by his wife and Jimmy Kimmel Live! co-head writer, Molly McNearney, who earned an Emmy nomination for her work as a writer and executive producer of the event in 2023. She returns as executive producer for next year’s broadcast.

“We are thrilled to have Jimmy back as host and Molly back as executive producer for the Academy Awards. They share our love of movies and our commitment to producing dynamic and entertaining shows for our global audience,” said Academy Executive Director Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang.

Kramer and Yang continued, “We are deeply grateful to Jimmy, Molly and their teams for their incredible creativity and partnership and for once again going on this ride with us.”

Jimmy Kimmel.

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This will be Kimmel’s fourth time as host and his second consecutive year since hosting the Academy Awards last year — which Entertainment Weekly was the most watched of all award shows in three years with 18.7 million viewers.

It also hosted the ceremony in 2017 and 2018 before going hostless from 2019 to 2021. The 2022 Oscars were hosted by Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer.

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Last month, the Academy announced the creative team behind the ABC broadcast, which will be led by director Hamish Hamilton for the fourth time. Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullen will be the executive producers of the upcoming program for the first time, and Kapoor will also host the show.

“Jimmy has cemented himself as one of the best Oscars hosts of all time with his perfect blend of humanity and humor, and Molly is one of the best live TV producers. We are thrilled to be working with them and their teams on the show,” Kapoor and Mullan said in an Academy press release on Wednesday.

The 96th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theater in Ovation Hollywood.

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Source: HIS Education