NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Through one of the most tumultuous periods in Oscar history, through flub and slap, Jimmy Kimmel has emerged as the steadying hand and abiding face of the Academy Awards.
When Kimmel hosts the on Sunday, he鈥檒l be . Only three people 鈥 Bob Hope (19 times), Billy Crystal (nine times) and Johnny Carson (five times) 鈥 will have hosted more than him.
After Kimmel hosted the 2017 and 2018 ceremonies, he watched the Oscars experiment and then with . But after following the Will Smith fracas, Kimmel has proven adept at a balancing act that has
鈥淚t鈥檚 an experience that I try to remember is special,鈥 Kimmel said in a recent interview. 鈥淚 just want to make sure for the people who are watching and the people who are there that we bring the proper amount of respect and also the proper amount of disrespect to the proceedings.鈥
Kimmel spoke as he prepared for Sunday鈥檚 show in between his day job at 鈥淛immy Kimmel Live!鈥 That includes sifting through possible jokes, posing for photographs he鈥檇 rather not and plenty of Oscar discussion around the dinner table, too. Molly McNearney, Kimmel鈥檚 wife, is an executive producer on the broadcast.
But Kimmel is by now an old hand at a highly specialized gig. Last year鈥檚 broadcast the most since 2020.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty calm,鈥 said Kimmel. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 speak for everyone else.鈥
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
AP: Does it irk you that your avowed nemesis Matt Damon is a co-star in the film that appears to be , 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥?
KIMMEL: It delights me. Matt Damon was completely left out of the Oscar festivities. He was even in the movie. It couldn鈥檛 be more embarrassing for him. It鈥檚 like if everyone in the class got invited to a birthday party, and he鈥檚 the one kid who didn't.
AP: How does having two huge films like 鈥淏arbie鈥 and 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥 prominently nominated affect your job?
KIMMEL: It makes it 10 times easier. When nobody has seen the movies 鈥 and that has happened, including years when I鈥檝e hosted 鈥 you have no point of reference to go from.
AP: You鈥檝e even suggested 鈥淏arbie鈥 partially motivated you to host this time.
KIMMEL: It was one of the big contributing factors, knowing that this movie was probably going to get nominated. I felt like I could have some good angles jumping off that. Like was one of them.
AP: This is an and war is raging in and Do you expect to be more political?
KIMMEL: I probably shouldn鈥檛 tell you this but I鈥檓 going to march all the nominees to the border and we鈥檙e going to see if we can鈥檛 fix the whole thing on Sunday night. (Laughs) I don鈥檛 know. It鈥檚 not really the focus of the Oscars. It doesn鈥檛 mean I won鈥檛 have a joke or two about it. But it鈥檚 not really my goal to invoke the name of he-who-shall-not-be-named at the Oscars.
AP: You haven鈥檛 been shy on 鈥淛immy Kimmel Live!鈥 to take jabs at Donald Trump. He recently called you
KIMMEL: I was going through my records and it seems like only one of us has lost.
AP: For you, what鈥檚 the appeal of hosting the Oscars?
KIMMEL: What I do is very fleeting. You do a show and then it鈥檚 gone. You don鈥檛 have much to show for it because it is so topical. The Oscars have a permanence that鈥檚 different for me and it鈥檚 fun. However it goes, I鈥檒l always have that. When you watch these montages of 96 years of the Oscars, and to be in it, you have to be pretty jaded for that not to have an effect on you.
AP: You鈥檝e sounded as though you thought you were done. Is that right?
KIMMEL: Oh, absolutely. I never imagined they鈥檇 ask me again, really. I was, like, two times, that was good. Maybe it was one of those things where she dumped me and I鈥檒l never date her again. But whatever the case, here I am again for number four.
AP: Does that mean you鈥檙e approaching it as if this is the last time?
KIMMEL: It might be. I don鈥檛 presume that I鈥檒l be asked to do it again. Looking back on it, it鈥檚 always easier to only remember the good things. But I don鈥檛 know. I鈥檒l say four seems like a solid number to me.
AP: You鈥檙e not interested in remaining a mainstay like Bob Hope?
KIMMEL: The way I look at is: People tend to take you for granted and resent you rather quickly. (Laughs) I鈥檓 sure I鈥檒l get some of that this time around. I鈥檒l get the usual, 鈥淐an鈥檛 they get anyone else to host this thing?鈥 And the answer is, no, they couldn鈥檛.
AP: Have you kept any mementos from your past three times hosting?
KIMMEL: I steal one Oscar every year. Usually from the animated short people. I tell them I need to take it and I鈥檒l get it back to them, and I just never do. They don鈥檛 know any better. I have three Oscars now and I鈥檓 looking forward to number four.
AP: That鈥檚 tough for the animated short people.
KIMMEL: Yeah, well, they鈥檙e lucky to be there.
AP: Is there anything you鈥檝e learned about what works and what doesn鈥檛 from previous shows?
KIMMEL: I鈥檝e learned that you can put a huge amount of effort into pre-taped comedy bits and get very little response from them. (Laughs) We鈥檝e learned not to do that anymore. Whatever people see on the Oscars that is not an award being handed out they believe is the reason the show is long. That鈥檚 not really true, for the most part. A lot of times you have live comedy bits or pre-taped comedy bits just to reset the stage. But I鈥檝e given up on them almost entirely.
AP: One thing we know about Sunday鈥檚 show is thatDo you plan to join him at all in that number?
KIMMEL: No one has asked me to sing. But if I get the call, Oh, yes, I will be center stage belting it out with Ryan.
AP: You were great with him in the Oscar promo.
KIMMEL: It鈥檚 a lot harder to look at my face when his is in the same frame. I believe that was my wife鈥檚 assessment.
AP: You had the post-slap narrative last year. Is there anything about that鈥檚 interesting to you?
KIMMEL: For me, none of it is particularly interesting. But I like the surprises, you know? Most of these nominees, we don鈥檛 know these people, we don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e going to say. Some of them we do. Some of them have won 11 awards leading up to this. But the really great moments come from the unexpected winners and people you鈥檝e never heard of. I very much hope that the quality of the speeches comes even close to last year. That鈥檚 the difference between a good show and a great show.
AP: How is it going through this experience with your wife, Molly McNearney?
KIMMEL: It鈥檚 great. There鈥檚 nobody I trust more. That said, we get involved now in a lot more decisions than we were last year. And they鈥檙e not all fun decisions. It has its pluses and minuses, for sure. It鈥檚 become the topic work-wise in our house pretty much all day, every day for the last two months.
AP: Does your family enjoy you hosting the Oscars?
KIMMEL: A big side storyline is me trying to figure out what my parents are going to wear, how they鈥檙e going to get to the show, who鈥檚 going to get them backstage after the show. It turns quickly into a family reunion. My older kids will be there with their spouses, some of my cousins, my brother, my sister. There will be a few Kimmels cheering me on in the audience. They look around and then they report back on who was laughing and who wasn鈥檛.
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