In a joint victory for corporate synergy and mildly edgy comedy, Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting the 2017 Academy Awards on ABC.
It was confirmed by the comedian himself:
Yes, I am hosting the Oscars. This is not a prank. And if it is, my revenge on @TheAcademy will be terrible & sweet. Thx to @alsformalwear
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) December 5, 2016
It’s perhaps a bit surprising that Jimmy hasn’t hosted yet. He’s been ABC’s late-night host for nearly 14 years now, debuting in January of 2013. He also just hosted the Emmy Awards, which were also on ABC. For Kimmel’s sake, it’s probably for the best that ABC doesn’t air Toddlers & Tiaras.
Of course, the Academy Awards are another thing entirely, an event unparalleled in prestige and seen by a global audience, according to the Academy Awards themselves. Kimmel will be tasked with succeeding where others have failed (or, in the case of David Letterman, were secretly successful.) Last year’s host, Chris Rock, poked and prodded the Oscars all night over the lack of diversity among nominees, in a performance that was necessarily uncomfortable.
And of course, who could forget the 2011 ceremony, where James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosted, which meant they weren’t acting, which meant they were themselves, which shockingly did not go over well. So, where does Kimmel fit in the pantheon of recent Oscar hosts? Let’s go back and rank Kimmel as better or worse than the last 10, based on how this will likely go:
- Chris Rock > Kimmel
- Neil Patrick Harris = Kimmel
- Ellen DeGeneres (x2) = Kimmel
- Seth MacFarlane (oh man) <<< Kimmel
- Billy Crystal (old and unins2pired version) < Kimmel
- Franco & Hathaway (worst law firm ever) <<< Kimmel
- Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin (can’t believe this, but…) < Kimmel
- Hugh Jackman (just for this alone) > Kimmel
- Jon Stewart (x2 again, and he should host every year) >>>>>>>> Kimmel
So, based on that quick calculation, Kimmel only trails Chris Rock, Hugh Jackman, and Jon Stewart, and is in a tie for fourth with Ellen and NPH. That’s not bad! Plus, we’ll get at least one Matt Damon appearance, if the Emmys were any indication:
