Jimmy Kimmel announced as next Oscars host - and will be 'ready for anything'

Jimmy Kimmel is set to return to host the Oscars ceremony for a third time, producers have announced – saying the star will be “ready for anything”.

The late-night US talk show host will present the ceremony in March 2023, five years since his last appearance at the helm.

Kimmel first hosted the Oscars in 2017 – when he famously managed the chaotic final moments as La La Land was wrongly named best picture over the actual winner, Moonlight – and then again in 2018, which came just months into the #MeToo reckoning in Hollywood.

“We’re super thrilled to have Jimmy score his hat trick on this global stage,” executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner said in a joint statement sent to Sky News. “We know he will be funny and ready for anything.”

“Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honour or a trap,” Kimmel joked. “Either way, I am grateful to the academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said no.”

Following Kimmel’s hosting hosting duties in 2018, the Oscars ceremony was held without a main presenter until this year’s ceremony – which saw Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes sharing the stage.

The 2023 show will be the 95th Academy Awards ceremony.

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Academy chief executive Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said Kimmel will be the “perfect host”.

Molly McNearney, who is the co-head writer and executive producer of the star’s show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and is married to Kimmel, will also serve as an executive producer on the broadcast.

After years of falling ratings, this year’s ceremony did see numbers improve, with 15.36 million viewers; however, this was in comparison with a record low in 2021, held amid restrictions during the COVID pandemic.

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The 2022 ceremony made headlines for very different reasons to usual earlier this year, due to Will Smith‘s now infamous “slapping” of award presenter Chris Rock on stage.

Smith, who went on to win best actor for his performance in King Richard later on in the ceremony, was banned from the Oscars for 10 years as a result.

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However, his latest film, Emancipation, which is due out in December and tells the true story of “Whipped Peter,” who joined the Union Army in the 1860s after escaping from slavery in Louisiana, could be in the running for a gong next year.

Oscars bosses have said they are keen to move on from the controversy, but it would be strange for Kimmel to take to the stage without referencing it in some way.

The 95th Oscars will take place on 12 March at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on ABC.

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