Nov 7 (Reuters) – Late-night discuss present host Jimmy Kimmel will host the 2023 Oscars ceremony, organizers mentioned on Monday, selecting a veteran emcee for Hollywood’s most prestigious showcase a 12 months after actor Will Smith upended the occasion by slapping presenter Chris Rock.
The Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences hopes Kimmel, a preferred U.S. comic who hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018, will assist enhance slumping TV viewership and produce decorum to the occasion after Smith’s outburst distracted from the night’s honors final 12 months.
Final 12 months’s broadcast on Walt Disney Co’s DIS.N ABC community obtained the occasion’s second-lowest viewership on report. However video of Smith slapping Rock’s face on stage after the comic made a joke in regards to the actor’s spouse was shared extensively on social media and dominated information headlines for days.
“Being invited to host the Oscars for a 3rd time is both an amazing honor or a entice,” Kimmel mentioned in an announcement. “Both method, I’m grateful to the Academy for asking me so rapidly after everybody good mentioned no.”
The ceremony will probably be held on March 12 at its longtime residence, Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre.
“Jimmy is the proper host to assist us acknowledge the unbelievable artists and movies of our ninety fifth Oscars,” Academy CEO Invoice Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang mentioned in an announcement.
“His love of flicks, reside TV experience, and talent to attach with our world audiences will create an unforgettable expertise for our thousands and thousands of viewers worldwide,” they mentioned.
Smith, who gained greatest actor for his function in “King Richard” lower than an hour after the incident with Rock, has publicly apologized to the comic. He’s banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, however remains to be eligible to be nominated and win.
Reporting by Rami Ayyub
Modifying by Tomasz Janowski
: .