Hollywood’s biggest night is Sunday — Is Jimmy Kimmel ready?
Jimmy’s hosting the Oscars again this year, his third time as MC, and he has a philosophy about hosting the event that he shared with ABC Audio.
“Number one is you want to make the audience laugh,” he notes. “Number two is you have to remember that this is a celebratory night for these people. It’s not a roast. Doesn’t mean there won’t be a little roasting, but you’ve got to make sure that you don’t humiliate anybody and that everybody comes away happy. And you got to be conscious of time, and make sure that if you’re going to spend time on something, it’s worth it.”
As to whether or not he’s learned anything from last year’s slap heard around the world, Kimmel’s answer is, “No, not really.”
“I think maybe if there is any lesson, it’s don’t make fun of Jada Pinkett Smith,” he jokes.
Sunday’s Oscars telecast will be the first show since last year’s slap fiasco. Kimmel didn’t host last year, but he was the host for the chaotic La La Land/Moonlight mixup — so as this year’s host, does he root for chaos?
“Well, I’m not rooting for getting slapped, but it is fun when something weird happens,” he offers. “You know what kind of stuff I like? Streaking. I like when naked people run on the stage. I would like to see more of that.”
One of Jimmy’s favorite things about this year’s show is that there are so many first-time nominees — including 16 of 20 in the acting category — which he thinks “makes for a much more open field and for some exciting moments.”
“I mean, it’s more exciting to see somebody win their first Oscar than their sixth,” he adds.
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