For the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, set to air on March 10, 2024, the annual show will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the fourth time.
The late-night host is set to host the 96th Academy Awards on March 10 for the fourth time. Joining him for the second year is his wife and Jimmy Kimmel Live co-head writer, Molly McNearney, as a producer.
“We are thrilled about Jimmy returning to host and Molly returning as executive producer for the Oscars,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a press release Nov. 15.
“They share our love of movies and our commitment to producing a dynamic and entertaining show for our global audience. We are deeply grateful to Jimmy, Molly and their teams for their incredible creativity and partnership and for going on this ride with us again.”
Jimmy who hosted in 2017, 2018 and 2023, has previously shared his feelings about being at the helm of the prestigious ceremony.
“Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap,” he teased to Variety in 2023. “Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said no.”
Following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the Oscars will be held in the Dolby Theater. And although the nominees have yet to be announced, last year’s show saw Jimmy have some fun surrounding fan-favorite films.
During the 95th Oscars, the comedian brought out an animal that he claimed was the lovable creature from The Banshees of Inisherin.
“That was our emotional support donkey last night,” Jimmy later joked on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. “Everybody was super excited to see her, but then that stirred up some controversy.”
Multiple news outlets called Jimmy’s bluff, noting that the miniature donkey wasn’t the famous Jenny after all. And it turns out they were right.
“It’s true. It wasn’t Jenny,” he continued. “It wasn’t even a female donkey. The donkey’s name is Dominic. It was a male donkey. We didn’t think it was a good idea to fly a donkey over from Ireland, so we hired an L.A. donkey. Maybe you noticed like the lip fillers and the implants.”
Apologizing for the confusion, Jimmy noted: “To anyone who was upset that they didn’t get to see the bona fide donkey, we’re very sorry. I want to apologize on behalf of the Academy. It will never happen again, I promise you.”
Viewers can catch what tricks the host has up his sleeve when the 2024 Oscars airs live on ABC on March 10.