Comedian Kimmel rejects invitation to host 5th Oscars

Popular American television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel has rejected an invitation to host the 2025 OSCARS, an annual award ceremony organised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honour excellence in film.

The comedian disclosed his reason for declining the hosting gig during a conversation with California Governor Gavin Newsom and NFL agent Doug Hendrickson on their “Politickin'” podcast. Kimmel said he declined the invitation based on the challenges with balancing the demands of both Oscars and his nightly show.

He would have hosted the Academy Awards next year for a fifth time.

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“I just decided I didn’t want to deal with that this year. It was just too much last year. You wind up pushing everything off till after the Oscars, and then you have to do everything you promised to do after the Oscars, after the Oscars,” Kimmel said

“I did two years, it went well. I did another two years, it went well. [So,] I figured I’d take a little break,” Kimmel continued.

“I’m all in when it comes to something like the Oscars. I think about it in the morning and at night, and when I have ideas I want to work on them, and then my nightly show seems like a nuisance. We have all our writers from the show working on the Oscars, so it distracts them. It’s fun to do, and it feels good when it went well, but, for me, just was too much, to do it three years in a row.”

The comedian has hosted the Academy Awards four times: in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024. Despite acknowledging the existence of other capable hosts, he said, “It’s a tough spot to be in.”