Jimmy Kimmel to host Oscars for fourth time

LOS ANGELES: Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will host the 96th Oscars next year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said.

Jimmy Kimmel is returning to helm the pinnacle event of the Hollywood awards season for the second straight year and fourth time overall.

“I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,” Kimmel said in the Academy statement.

The 96th Oscars will air on Walt Disney-owned ABC and broadcast outlets around the world on March 10, 2024. Kimmel also hosted the 95th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre last March, earning an Emmy nomination for his stint.

ABC is turning again to its late-night host a year after bringing Kimmel back for a 2023 ceremony that drew 18.7 million viewers, the most since 2020’s pre-pandemic broadcast.

In the wake of Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Kimmel led a cautious ceremony that helped stabilize the Academy Awards after years of turmoil. Kimmel also hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018.

Though the comic is inching up in the record books, he’s still a long ways from the most frequent Oscar emcee. That title belongs to Bob Hope, who hosted a record 19 times either solo or as a co-host. Billy Crystal hosted nine times all between 1990 and 2012.