Oscars 2017: Jimmy Kimmel to reportedly serve as host

For several years now, Jimmy Kimmel has been a host of a special and often-hilarious aftershow for the Oscars on ABC; now, it seems like he is jumping over to the main-stage gig.

As reported by CNN, the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host is going to host the 2017 ceremony, marking the first time that he’s hosted the Oscars themselves. He’s taking on such an emcee gig at a variety of other ceremonies including the Emmys, which is why we’re all but assured that this will be a perfect fit for the show. Kimmel is incredibly funny, quick on his feet, and he already knows many of the movie stars in attendance because of his late-night show.

Can Jimmy be a little bit biting at times, perhaps even more so than some of the other hosts? Absolutely, but at the same time we feel that most people know that his humor is not necessarily coming from a spiteful place, and that he has a great deal of love and respect for movies and the entertainment business. He’ll be a good host, but much of his material will likely come out of headlines from the next couple of months. For example, it’s too early for the time being to know about any of the nominees, while at the same time it’s also too early to know what the news stories are going to be entering the show.

For example, last year Chris Rock found himself telling a wide degree of jokes about #OscarsSoWhite after the nominations came out, and the lack of minority contenders prompted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to announce changes to their membership.

Do you think that Kimmel would be the right host for the Oscars? Let us know now in the attached comments, and we’ll be back with much more news as we get closer to the show airing.