The 96th Academy Awards has found its host!
Jimmy Kimmel is returning to the Oscars! The late-night host is set to helm the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, marking the fourth time he's taken on the gig.
Molly McNearney, Kimmel's wife, who serves as the Jimmy Kimmel Live co-head writer, will executive produce the telecast.
"I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times," Kimmel said, with McNearney adding, "I'm especially honored to be part of the Oscars team this year, when we are all eager to be back together and back to work."
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang are likewise thrilled about Kimmel's return.
"We are thrilled about Jimmy returning to host and Molly returning as executive producer for the Oscars. They share our love of movies and our commitment to producing a dynamic and entertaining show for our global audience," they said. "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."
Raj Kapoor is set to serve as showrunner and executive producer of the telecast, along with executive producer Katy Mullan. Hamish Hamilton will direct the ceremony for the fourth time.
"Jimmy has cemented himself as one of the all-time great Oscars hosts with his perfect blend of humanity and humor, and Molly is one of the best live TV producers around," Kapoor and Mullan said. "We are delighted to be working with them and their teams on the show."
Kimmel previously hosted the ceremony in 2017, 2018 and 2023.
"After his triumphant return to the Oscars stage last year, we are honored to have Jimmy back to guide us through one of the most beloved celebrations in entertainment," Craig Erwich, president of ABC Entertainment, Hulu and Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals, said. "He is such a valuable member of our Disney family, and we could not be more appreciative of him and his entire team. We are also grateful to have the multitalented Molly back on the producing team, and we have no doubt that this year will be a spectacular night celebrating the biggest films of the year."
Going into this year's star-studded show, Oppenheimer leads the pack with a whopping 13 nominations, while Poor Things follows close behind with 11, and Killers of the Flower Moon coming in next with 10.
Meanwhile, between the 20 performers nominated in the four acting categories, 10 of them were first-time nominees, including Colman Domingo, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright, America Ferrera, Danielle Brooks, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Emily Blunt, Lily Gladstone, Sandra Hüller and Sterling K. Brown.
The 2024 Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, airs live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 10, at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on ABC. Follow along at ETonline.com for full Oscars coverage, including red carpet arrivals, the complete winners list and more.
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