“Yes, I am hosting the Oscars. This is not a prank,” Kimmel wrote in a tweet. “And if it is, my revenge on @TheAcademy will be terrible & sweet.”
The comedian took to his show Jimmy Kimmel Live to make fun of himself.
“Yes, I am hosting the Oscars. This is not a prank,” Kimmel wrote in a tweet. “And if it is, my revenge on @TheAcademy will be terrible & sweet.” While this will be the comedian’s first time hosting the Oscars, we are hardly surprised with the Academy’s decision. The comedian has proven his hosting capabilities by hosting the American Music Awards several times. Also, he only recently won praise for his performance as the host of the 2016 Emmy Awards as well.
Kimmel made an appearance on his late night show called Jimmy Kimmel Live and proceeded to poke fun at the entire thing. “A lot of things happened to me over the last two weeks. I got a tummy tuck. They still give those. I had my eyes done and I think they look great, right? I also went to Dry Bar, I got an up-do. I had my whole body done. I read online today that in February – I will be hosting the Oscars,” he said.
He also joked about how late the Oscar host announcement has been this year, adding that perhaps the Academy probably had somebody else in mind but weren’t able to get them. Further making fun of the situation, Kimmel said that perhaps the location of the El Capitan Theatre, where he shoots his show is right across the street from Oscar’s Dolby Theatre.
“The producers and the Academy went through a long list of names – and in the end, they decided that – since I am already right across the street from where they do the show – I was the closest person to host,” Kimmel said. “I guess I have to get a tux now. Or maybe I’ll wear jean shorts? Has anyone ever done that?”
Of course, Kimmel took the opportunity to take a dig at Donald Trump as well. “I will say I got a very nice call of congratulations this morning from the President of Taiwan. And just to be clear, she called me, not the other way around,” Kimmel said.
The Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, was all praises for the comedian. “Jimmy has the qualities of all the great hosts. He knows who he is, he knows the audience and he knows how to captain a ship with many moving parts. We’re thrilled he has agreed to host our show.”
– With additional information from Variety.com
