Oscars Hosts Throughout The Years (And How They Were Ranked)
Remember when Beyoncé and Zac Efron performed a medley of musical numbers?
Who is hosting the Oscars this year, you ask? None other than Jimmy Kimmel, and it's not his first time either. The late-night TV presenter has previously hosted the star-studded event in 2017, 2018 and in 2023, making this year his fourth time hosting.
Over the years, the Oscars hosting gig has been dubbed 'the worst job in town' and now has a reputation for no high-profile figure wanting to associate themselves with it. Why is this? Well, it's an incredibly scrutinised role, the critique can often be brutal - see below examples of Anne Hathaway and James Franco hosting in 2011.
As the event is live streamed, it's very easy to make mistakes and for jokes in host's monologues to 'go south', or things to turn super intense - remember when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the award show back in 2022? Co-host of that year, Amy Schumer stated that the incident left her feeling 'triggered and traumatised.'
In 2013 host Seth MacFarlane explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2018: 'Look, it’s a gig that has all eyes on it. And when you’re doing something that’s that much in the spotlight, with that much focus on it, that much intensity, you’re going to have a lot of opinions from a lot of people. I’m trying to think of the last time that I read a review of the Oscars the next day where everyone is raving about it—it’s been a long time.'
With that in mind, let's look at the Oscars hosts that have done it well along with the ones that didn't get such rave reviews...
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