Jimmy Kimmel Reportedly Not Returning as Oscars Host in 2025

One of the most consistent and reliable hosts of the Academy Awards won’t be returning to the gig next year. Jimmy Kimmel, nightly host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has hosted the annual Oscars ceremony four times in the last decade, including the last two consecutive years. He’s been seen as a safe choice but a steady hand, especially in the wake of a few controversial hosts over the years. In 2025, it appears ABC and the Academy will have to look elsewhere.

According to a new report from Puck News, Kimmel has passed on the opportunity to host the 2025 Oscars, which would’ve made his third in a row. The report also indicated that comedian John Mulaney was approached for the job after Kimmel passed, which is exciting news for anyone who has watched Mulaney’s speeches at awards shows. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, Mulaney had to pass as well.

That leaves the 97th Oscars without a host at the moment, but the show still has plenty of time to get things figured out. as the ceremony won’t take place until March of next year.

Kimmel Stepping Down

In addition to turning down another Oscars hosting gig, Kimmel seems to be ready to walk away from his regular job as a late night host as well. Earlier this year, the comedian announced that he’d likely be walking away from Jimmy Kimmel Live! once his current contract expires.

“Wednesday night, I was very tired and I had all these scripts to go through — I had to revise and rewrite all these pitch ideas for the Oscars — and I was literally nodding off onto my computer,” Kimmel told the Los Angeles Times back in February. “In those moments, I think, ‘I cannot wait until my contract is over.’ But then, I take the summer off or I go on strike, and you start going, ‘Yeah, I miss the fun stuff.’”

On the Strike Force Five podcast, which Kimmel co-hosted alongside fellow late night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and John Oliver, he admitted that this will probably be the end, even though he’s contemplated stepping away in the past.

“I think this is my final contract,” Kimmel said. “I hate to even say it, because everyone’s laughing at me now — each time I think that, and then it turns out to be not the case. I still have a little more than two years left on my contract, and that seems pretty good. That seems like enough.”