Jimmy Kimmel and John Mulaney have declined to host the Oscars again next year. Kimmel, 56, has hosted the Academy Awards four times, including the event earlier this year. However, he refused to return as emcee for the 2025 Oscars.
Mulaney, 41, who presented the Academy’s 14th Governors Awards in January, was asked about hosting but rejected, according to a source. The comedian was a noteworthy presenter in the 2024 ceremony, delivering a Kevin Costner-approved joke on Field of Dreams.
Costner earlier lauded Mulaney’s funny performance onstage, saying, “I couldn’t believe that guy. Amazing. I watched it twice… What a chance, since people at the Oscars are usually trying to rush you. And he went quickly. However, what he said hit me deeply. I should speak to him since I was quite impressed. “He was a genius.”
Puck was the first to announce the news. Representatives for Kimmel and Mulaney did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The 97th Oscars will be place on Sunday, March 2. It will air live on ABC at 7 p.m. ET from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
Kimmel hosted the event in 2017 and 2018 before it turned hostless from 2019 to 2021. The 2022 ceremony was hosted by Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes, and Amy Schumer. Kimmel returned for 2023, and his 2024 episode had the show’s greatest ratings in four years, with 19.5 million viewers. He also hosts the ABC game program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
The late-night presenter collaborated with his wife Molly McNearney, the show’s co-executive producer, to pull off his Oscar appearances.
He previously said on prepping for this year’s ceremony, “The big challenge is always trying to keep the show moving, so it’s a matter of picking your spots, popping in when you’re needed, and staying out of the picture when you’re not.”
How did Jimmy Kimmel get his start?
Kimmel began his television career after twelve years in morning radio as a co-host of Comedy Central’s “Win Ben Stein’s Money,” for which he received an Emmy Award for Best Game Show Host in 1999. Kimmel co-hosted, co-created, and executive produced 100 episodes of “The Man Show” on Comedy Central.
How many times has Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars?
He has been the host and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk program since 2003. Kimmel hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards three times: in 2012, 2016, and 2020. He has also presented the Academy Awards in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024. New York City, United States.