Late-night talk show star Jimmy Kimmel will be returning as the host of the 96th Academy Awards, marking his fourth stint at the prestigious Oscars. Kimmel's return was confirmed by the Academy. Now, in a conversation with Variety, Kimmel spoke about the time when he decided to sneak into the Academy Awards Governors Ball. He also opened up about his chances of returning at the 2025 Oscars.

Jimmy Kimmel on returning for 2025 Oscars 

If Jimmy Kimmel returns in 2025, he would match Johnny Carson’s five times as Oscars host. On being asked about the same, he said, "You assume I’ve been asked about next year. Which is not a presumption I would ever make.” 

Speaking about the same, he added, “Maybe we should let Johnny have that number. I think it was also very different back then. I think it was more of a ‘show up and do a few jokes’ type of situation. I’m not necessarily focused on the numbers part of it.”

When Jimmy Kimmel snuck into the Academy Awards Governors Ball 

It was the mid-1990s, back when Fallon was on KROQ’s Kevin & Bean morning drive-time show. Along with his fellow host, Kevin Ryder, Fallon decided to sneak into the Academy Awards Governors Ball. “I remember us getting there 9 o’clock in the morning in tuxedos,” Kimmel recalls. He further added, “We figured that if we hung around long enough, it would seem like we belonged there. But then moments before the guests began to arrive, they kicked us right out.”

Jimmy Kimmel hopes to avoid controversy 

Over the years, the Oscar award has witnessed several controversies. Kimmel witnessed these events while he was on stage, hosting the ceremony. However, this time, Kimmel’s objective is to avoid any sort of controversy. The talk show host will deliberately not touch on sensitive topics like politics. 

On being asked if he is steering clear of political jokes on purpose, Kimmel said, “I mean, I don’t rule it out completely, but it’s not necessarily what the show’s about, and it’s not like I don’t have an outlet to do that five other nights a week. So it definitely has to be a joke that I can’t resist for me to use it on the Oscars.”