February 21, 2024
The 2024 Oscars will be helmed by Jimmy Kimmel, but the late-night host said he was initially unsure to ever return to the ceremony's hosting again.
In a chat with The Los Angeles Times, the three-times host said, "I did not think I would ever do it again."
Reflecting on his journey as an emcee in the prestigious award show, he said, "I did two of them, and they went well — something crazy happened at one of them with a story I'll have for the rest of my life."
"I know how much work goes into [the Oscars], so I thought, 'Yeah, I don't necessarily want to do this ever again,'" the 56-year-old continued.
But the ABC anchor said 2023's Barbie changed his mind about the gig, "I knew there was a movie that people had seen, and it just makes the job easier."
Noting, "I am sitting in a movie theater watching Barbie and thinking, 'Well, maybe I'll do this again because at least I have a point of reference with everyone."
"I made a joke about Moonlight that made it clear to me that the vast majority of the room had not seen the movie, even though it won Best Picture," he shared.
In the meantime, the 96th Academy Awards will begin on Sunday, March 10.