No avoiding it? Jimmy Kimmel is already getting ready to host the 2023 Oscars — and he’s fairly certain the notorious Will Smith slap will nonetheless be the discuss of the evening.
“It’s acquired to come back up indirectly,” the late-night host, 55, instructed Further shortly after being introduced because the emcee of the ninety fifth annual Academy Awards. “You understand, I don’t wish to actually make gentle of it essentially, as a result of it wasn’t [light] to comedians. You understand, comedians are mad about it. … It’s like, it’s a type of issues that for a gaggle of folks that discover every part humorous, it’s, like, not humorous, you already know? However after all … once they learn the mistaken winner one 12 months after I hosted the Oscars, we needed to make point out of that the subsequent 12 months.”
Kimmel has hosted the awards present twice earlier than: first in 2017 and once more in 2018. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway incorrectly introduced La La Land as one of the best image winner on the 2017 ceremony — the trophy ended up going to Moonlight — and the flub was the most-talked about second of the evening.
When he returned to the Oscars the next 12 months, the Brooklyn native didn’t draw back from poking enjoyable on the mistake. “This 12 months, once you hear your title known as, don’t rise up immediately. Simply give us a minute,” he teased throughout his monologue. “We don’t need one other factor.”
The Jimmy Kimmel Reside! host continued: “What occurred final 12 months was unlucky, and I’ve not instructed this story in public as a result of I wished to put it aside for tonight. However right here’s what occurred. That is true. Final 12 months, a couple of week earlier than the present, the producers requested me if I wished to do some comedy with the accountants. And I stated, ‘No, I don’t wish to do comedy with the accountants.’ So, then the accountants went forward and did comedy on their very own. And I’ve at hand it to them, it was hilarious. However it gained’t occur once more.”
Final 12 months, the Academy Awards had been hosted by a trio of A-list girls: Amy Schumer, Regina Corridor and Wanda Sykes. Nonetheless, their funniest bits had been overshadowed after Smith, 54, stormed the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock throughout the face. The Madagascar star, 57, had simply completed telling a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith‘s buzzed haircut when the Recent Prince of Bel-Air alum shouted, “Maintain my spouse’s title out your f–king mouth!”
Smith went on to win one of the best actor trophy later that evening for his efficiency in King Richard, and he issued a public apology to Rock someday after the ceremony. In April, the Will creator resigned from the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences and was banned from any Oscars-related occasions for the subsequent 10 years.
Regardless of the sudden drama, ABC exec Craig Erwich was happy with the 2022 awards present. “My evaluation of the Oscars was that it was actually a profitable 12 months for the present,” he instructed Deadline in Could. “Clearly there was quite a lot of controversy, which overshadowed quite a lot of the optimistic issues concerning the present, however I used to be actually proud of this system. Even earlier than that very unlucky second, the present began off up 12 months over 12 months, and we got here again in a giant approach.”
Kimmel, for his half, sparked backlash after the 2022 Emmy Awards in September when he performed lifeless on stage as Quinta Brunson accepted one in every of her two historic wins. The Abbott Elementary star, 32, gained each Excellent Writing for a Comedy Sequence and Excellent Lead Actress in a Comedy Sequence. When it comes time for the Oscars subsequent March, the comic might go away the pranks behind.
“I’ll be standing [when I host],” he instructed Further. “I’ve realized my lesson. I’ll be standing. Actually, I’m going to put on lifts.”
