Awards Watch - Jimmy Kimmel Returns
Awards analysis is provided by Sean from @MathTeacherMovies.
Whenever there is an announcement of the next Oscar host, it is frequently met with vitriol on the internet and there are usually multiple takes of why it is a bad pick. Therefore, it was refreshing to see the announcement of Jimmy Kimmel hosting once again me with…complete apathy.
Is Jimmy Kimmel an exciting choice? No. But this doesn't mean he isn't a good choice. He is the safe pick and the reliable pick. He hosted back to back ceremonies and was adequate in both situations, while this is not exciting, the Academy didn’t need exciting at this time.
He has the cynicism of a Ricky Gervais without the blatant disrespect and laziness but also has the goofy charm to disappear into the background and let the show do the work with the exception of the occasional bit.
His nice and affable nature helped guide the Oscars through various culture shifts. His first ceremony was the first one during the Trump era and the following year was the first Oscars after the #metoo era.
He also navigated the infamous envelope incident the best way possible at the spur of the moment and while it would be impossible to turn a ceremony around after “the slap”, Kimmel might have been equipped to at least handle it better.
It’s been pretty well established that Kimmel is not a risky choice but risky choices have not paid off in the recent past and this might have been because of poor writing. It would be great to see more risky and diverse picks in the future, but for now there's a need to course correct and Kimmel is the guy to do that.
Will Kimmel save the Oscars? Absolutely not. The people that aren’t watching will still not watch and Kimmel won’t be the one to draw them in, but this will bring back a level of normalcy to the Oscars which the die hard fans will appreciate.
Bottom line, he knows how to host and knows how to host well. This will be a fine show that will make the right people happy and maybe others will have just as much enjoyment.