Jimmy Kimmel Explains Why He Turned Down Oscars Hosting Gig
We already knew that Jimmy Kimmel would not be hosting the 2025 Oscars ceremony, but in a new episode of the Politickin’ podcast, the late-night host explained his decision.
Telling the podcast’s hosts Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch and Doug Hendrickson, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! emcee said that hosting a third time in a row simply would’ve been “too much.”
“I just decided I didn’t want to deal with that this year,” he said. “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. I did two years [2017 and 2018], it went well. I did another two years [2023 and 2024], it went well. I figured I’d take a little break.”
Who Should Host the Oscars Next Year?
He also admitted that balancing both his nightly late-night series and Oscars preparations was a very demanding feat.
“I’m not good at balancing. I’m really not,” he added. “It’s not one of my strengths. 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.”
John Mulaney also turned down the chance to host the 2025 Oscars, which is set to air March 2 on ABC.
Thoughts on Kimmel passing on the gig? Let us know in the comments.
