Popular American television host Jimmy Kimmel will emcee the next Oscars gala, which will celebrate its 95th edition on Sunday 12 March 2023. Kimmel, who will host the gala for the third time, takes over from Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall, who hosted the 2022 gala. A ceremony in which CODA was chosen as best film and which went down in history for the slap Will Smith gave Chris Rock on air after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia.
«Presenting the Oscars for the third time is either a great honour… or a trap. Either way, I’m grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after all the good ones said no,» Kimmel, who hosted the 2017 and 2018 ceremonies, said in a statement released by the Academy.
It was precisely the 2018 Oscars that marked a turning point in the planning of the ceremony, as Kevin Hart was replaced by Jimmy Kimmel following homophobic tweets that came to light. After years of being disrupted by the pandemic, the gala was not hosted again until 2022, when Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall took over.
With his third performance as master of ceremonies, there are only five people who have hosted the Oscars more times than Kimmel: Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon (both with 4), Johnny Carson (5), Billy Crystal (9) and Bob Hope (11).
«We’re very excited for Jimmy to score a hat trick on this world stage. We know he’ll be fun and ready for anything,» Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, the gala’s executive producers and showrunners also said in a statement.
«Jimmy is the perfect host to help us recognise the incredible artists and films at our 95th Oscar ceremony. His love of movies, his expertise in live television and his ability to connect with our global audience will create an unforgettable experience for our millions of viewers around the world,» Academy executive director Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a statement.
Nominations for the gala to be held on March 12 next year will be announced by the Hollywood Academy on January 24, 2023.
