When Jimmy Kimmel was announced as host of the 2024 Academy Awards, he declared: “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times.” It appears that the late-night host, who also emceed the event in 2017, 2018, and 2023, is keeping his word.
According to Puck News, both Kimmel and John Mulaney, who drew rave reviews for hosting the Academy’s untelevised Governors Awards last year, have declined offers to host the 2025 Oscars. (Vanity Fair has reached out to reps for Kimmel and Mulaney, as well as the Academy, for comment.)
Kimmel is said to have declined Academy hosting duties in early summer, prior to his ABC talk show’s seasonal hiatus. But in the spring, after Donald Trump referred to him as a “lousy host” on Truth Social, Kimmel was seemingly open to reprising his role. “I don’t know. That must be why they asked me to host the show again next year. Which I wasn’t planning to do but now I might,” Kimmel joked in an April episode. “Maybe—you know what—maybe you can watch on the TV in the rec room at Riker’s with all the guys.”
Mulaney, meanwhile, opened the 2024 Governors Awards—the ceremony that bestows each year’s honorary Oscars—by joking: “This is a strategic obligation. It is a pleasure to stand here on this temporary stage. For those of you that don’t recognize me from the Tuesday night AA meeting in the Palisades, my name is John Mulaney.” When asked in June about progressing to the Academy’s biggest gig, he told THR he “wouldn’t necessarily say no” to the opportunity.
According to Deadline, Mulaney was awaiting a final decision from Kimmel, at whose guest house he lived for a time during his recovery from addiction, before officially making his own call about hosting. Puck reports that Mulaney’s pass was due to scheduling conflicts with multiple upcoming projects, including the possible renewal of his Netflix variety series, Everybody’s in L.A.
Awards show hosting has often been perceived as a high-risk, low-reward proposition. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kimmel also passed on hosting this year’s Emmys, which are set for September 15 and have yet to announce a host. The currently host-less 2025 Oscars will air on March 2.
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