WASHINGTON — All eyes are on late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel as he takes on the Oscars for a fourth time on Sunday.
Kimmel, who hosted last year's ceremony, is now tied with fellow four-time Oscar hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon. He is trailing Johnny Carson (five), Billy Crystal (nine) and Bob Hope (11) among repeat Oscar hosts.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Kimmel said the upcoming presidential election could be a topic for him, he doesn’t plan to a strike a very political tone.
“It’s not really the focus of the Oscars,” said Kimmel. “It doesn’t mean I won’t have a joke or two about it. But it’s not really my goal to invoke the name of he-who-shall-not-be-named at the Oscars.”
How much is Jimmy Kimmel getting paid to host Oscars?
While host salaries vary depending on who takes on the gig, Jimmy Kimmel has revealed his previous Oscars paycheck amount.
During a 2022 episode of his late-night show, Kimmel and Wanda Sykes got into specifics about what it takes to host the Oscars.
Sykes, who at the time was part of the 2022 Oscars host trifecta, along with Amy Shumer and Regina Hall, said she was excited about hosting but soon realized that hosting the Academy Awards was actually going to cost her money.
When Kimmel asked how much money she was being paid, Sykes replied that she didn't even know but could assume it was "scale," the minimum that SAG-AFTRA union members can get paid.
Kimmel revealed that during his two previous hosting experiences at the Oscars, he was paid "less than" scale.
“I got paid $15,000 to host the Oscars. And there’s one of me! You guys will probably have to split that," Kimmel replied to Sykes. "Which sounds like a lot for one night but it's months of work leading up to it."
The Oscars will be held Sunday, March 10, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin at 7 p.m. EDT — one hour earlier than usual — and will broadcast live on ABC.
