Jimmy Kimmel Not Returning as Oscar Host in 2025, John Mulaney Also Passed on the Gig (original) (raw)

After hosting the Academy Awards four times, the 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' star decided not to take the stage next year, PEOPLE confirms

Published on July 29, 2024 11:10PM EDT

Jimmy Kimmel and John Mulaney. Photo:

Michael Buckner/getty

Jimmy Kimmel won't be back as next year's Oscars host, and John Mulaney also passed on the gig.

Kimmel, 56, has hosted the Academy Awards four times, including the ceremony held earlier this year. However, he declined to return as emcee at the 2025 Oscars, PEOPLE can confirm.

Mulaney, 41, who hosted the Academy's 14th Governors Awards in January, was approached to be host but declined, a source tells PEOPLE. The comedian was a memorable presenter at the 2024 ceremony, performing a Kevin Costner-approved bit about Field of Dreams.

Costner praised Mulaney's hilarious moment onstage, previously telling PEOPLE, “I couldn't believe that guy. Amazing. I watched it a second time... What a chance, because there's always people in the Oscars trying to rush you. And he went fast. But what he said, I was very touched by it. I should talk to him because I was really impressed. He was a genius.”

Puck was first to report the news.

Reps for Kimmel and Mulaney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 97th annual Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2. It'll be broadcast live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

John Mulaney on May 31, 2023.

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Kimmel hosted the event in 2017 and 2018 before it went host-less from 2019 to 2021. The 2022 ceremony had Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer as hosts. Kimmel came back for 2023, and his 2024 outing nabbed the telecast's highest ratings in four years with 19.5 million people tuning in. He's also the host of the ABC game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Jimmy Kimmel hosting the Oscars on March 10, 2024.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The late-night host worked with his wife Molly McNearney, the show's co-executive producer, on pulling off his Oscars stints.

He previously told PEOPLE about preparing for this past year's ceremony, "The big challenge always is trying to keep the show moving, so it's a matter of picking your spots and popping in when you're needed and staying out of the picture when you're not."