Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars
The comedian will be in charge of hosting the 95th edition of the film awards gala for the third time in the last six years.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided that Jimmy Kimmel will host one of the most important nights of the year for world cinema: the Academy Awards gala, more commonly known as The Oscars. The comedian, who already hosted the event in 2017 and 2018, will be back on the stage for the third time for the 95th edition of the awards.
Kimmel will accompany Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner on stage at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater on Sunday 12 March 2023. The big event is still more than five months away, so it is surprising that the Academy has made the presenter official so far in advance.
“With Kimmel, Weiss and Kirshner’s fresh perspective and masterful guidance, the Oscars will celebrate its rich 95-year history, the collaborative nature of moviemaking, and our diverse, dynamic and deeply creative community of filmmakers,” CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement.
“Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap. Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said no,” Jimmy Kimmel said.
Objective: revive the audience
In recent years, audience figures for the Oscars has suffered a significant drop compared to previous decades. A surprising fact considering the global importance of an historic night when viewers can watch the statuettes being presented live.
However, the growth of platforms such as Netflix, HBO and Amazon Prime, among others, seem to have robbed movie theaters of prominence. In fact, the 2022 Oscar Awards were the second least watched in history, with 16.6 million viewers. A figure that was only worse in 2021, with less than 10 million followers.
The Chris Rock Option
The 2022 Oscar Awards were marked by the incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock. The performer, reacting to a joke in bad taste about his wife, strode up on stage and slapped Rock in the face. A highly criticized incident for which he was banned from attending the gala for ten years.
In an attempt to compensate for what happened, according to The Arizona Republic, the Academy would have offered him the possibility of being the one who presented the awards ceremony this year. A proposal which Chris Rock rejected comparing it to going back to the scene of a crime.