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, generating anticipation for an entertaining show. In a recent conversation with Deadline, Kimmel revealed that his aim is to avoid controversies and stick to movie-related jokes at the awards ceremony. 

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.”

When asked about how much time does it take for him to prepare, he said that he makes little notes about award shows all the time. “You know, if I think of something, I put it in a little folder in my computer, and I refer back to that stuff when I need it. But as far as writing specific jokes and coming up with ideas for the show, I think we started like the day that we announced it to the press,” Kimmel said. 

Academy CEO delighted by Jimmy Kimmel returning to Oscars 

Meanwhile, earlier, the Academy's CEO, Bill Kramer, and President, Janet Yang, expressed their delight in welcoming back Kimmel and McNearney. Highlighting their shared passion for films and dedication to delivering an engaging show, they expressed gratitude for the duo's creativity and collaboration.