Vanity Fair announces Jimmy Kimmel's return as host of the 2024 Oscars.

Article by Rebecca Ford

Jimmy Kimmel is very much passionate about the Oscars.

The ABC's late-night expert will host the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre. This will mark his fourth stint as the show's host, following up from his hosting responsibility the previous year. Molly McNearney, Kimmel’s spouse and the co-head writer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, will also reprise her role as an executive producer for the show for a second successive year.

Kimmel humorously expressed his aspiration, saying, “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,” as reported in the Academy’s press release.

Being at the helm of Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, Kimmel is quite familiar with hosting the Oscars consecutively, with his previous instances in 2017 and 2018. He initially hosted during the controversial "envelopegate" year when La La Land was erroneously declared the winner of the prestigious best picture award, overshadowing the actual winner, Moonlight. At the 2023 ceremony, Kimmel was largely acclaimed for managing an entertaining, trouble-free show – a refreshing change after the previous year's show was marred by the well-publicized conflict between Will Smith and Chris Rock.

Now, after the writer's strike has finally ended, the Academy Awards will proceed as scheduled on March 10, 2024. The ceremony will be executive produced by Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, and directed by Hamish Hamilton. 

The Academy’s Bill Kramer and Janet Yang conveyed delight over Jimmy and Molly's comeback for the Oscars, acknowledging their love for the cinema and a shared dedication to producing a remarkable and engaging event for the international viewership. An expression of gratitude was conveyed towards Jimmy, Molly, and their teams for their outstanding inventiveness and collaboration, and for accompanying the Academy on this journey yet again.

Jimmy Kimmel has now entered the elite group of individuals who have hosted the Oscars four times - a list that includes Jack Lemmon and Whoopi Goldberg. Bob Hope has the record for the most number of appearances totaling 19, with Billy Crystal following at nine.