It seems Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t plan on making any Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce jokes when he hosts the 2024 Academy Awards, but it’s not because he’s overly nice.
The comedian and late-night talk show star, who returns to host the annual ceremony for the fourth time on March 10, told CNN this week that Swift-Kelce jokes are “not off-limits” to him, they’re just “probably played out.”
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host also talked to CNN about how an Oscars host needs to have the ability to poke fun at — but not tick off — the A-listers attending the ceremony.
“It’s not that easy. It depends on the person because some people are more sensitive than others,” Kimmel said. “God help you, if I know you. Like, if you’ve been to my house, you’re in trouble on Oscar night.”
One Hollywood star who’s sure to get teased by Kimmel during the March 10 ceremony? Matt Damon, who’s long been embroiled in a hilarious staged feud with Kimmel.
“He is not nominated for an Oscar. He was in ‘Oppenheimer.’ Everyone else was nominated except for him,” Kimmel noted to CNN.
Kimmel also commented on NFL star Aaron Rodgers, who made headlines in January for suggesting, without evidence, that Kimmel’s name would appear in court documents released from a lawsuit related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender.
“Uh, I don’t know who that is,” joked the comedian, who blasted Rodgers at the time for his “reckless” remarks. He added that he doesn’t plan to mention Rodgers during the Oscars broadcast.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had announced in November that Kimmel would return to host the Academy Awards a fourth time.
Molly McNearney, Kimmel’s wife and longtime producer of his show, will also serve as the ceremony’s executive producer again.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang celebrated Kimmel and McNearney returning for the 96th Oscars in a statement at the time.
“We are thrilled about Jimmy returning to host and Molly returning as executive producer for the Oscars. They share our love of movies and our commitment to producing a dynamic and entertaining show for our global audience,” Kramer and Yang said. “We are deeply grateful to Jimmy, Molly and their teams for their incredible creativity and partnership and for going on this ride with us again.”
In the statement, Kimmel joked, “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times.”
McNearney said, “I’m especially honored to be part of the Oscars team this year, when we are all eager to be back together and back at work.”
Kimmel has plenty of experience leading the broadcast, as he previously hosted the 89th Academy Awards in 2017 and the 90th ceremony the following year. He was also selected to lead Hollywood’s biggest night last year for the historic 95th Academy Awards.
While standing on the Dolby Theatre stage, the comedian cracked multiple jokes throughout the night about the previous awards gala, which was hosted by Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer. A few quips referenced the infamous slap from the 2022 ceremony.
He immediately poked fun at the unexpected interaction between Will Smith and Chris Rock during his opening monologue.
“If anyone commits an act of violence during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and permitted to give a 19-minute speech,” Kimmel said.
He added, “If anything unpredictable or wild happens during the ceremony, just do what you did last year: nothing.”
Although he missed out on that unforgettable moment, Kimmel has been involved in other shocking Oscar moments throughout the years.
When he hosted the ceremony for the first time, “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner before “Moonlight” was revealed to be the true recipient of the coveted prize.
The following year, he pretended to be haunted by the mishap in a promo video.
This year’s Oscar nominees were announced on Jan. 23, with “Oppenheimer” leading the pack with 13 nominations.