Kimmel confirmed the news that he would be heading up the awards show that celebrates the best of primetime television in a cheeky Tweet this morning. He added in a statement, in his signature sarcastic style, that he “has a feeling I’m going to be great.”
I am hosting the #Emmys on Sunday Sept 18. Until then, have a great summer.
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) March 7, 2016
It’s a fitting partnership, given that Kimmel is already part of the ABC family as host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and he’s already hosted the event once before, back in 2012. Channing Dungey, President of ABC Entertainment, called Kimmel a “consummate showman.”
His hosting gig four years ago was, indeed, a success for ABC. Kimmel excelled at what he does best with clever one-liners and viral segments. In one prank, he urged the audience to tweet that Tracy Morgan had just passed out on stage, resulting in 25,000 Tweets being sent immediately following the request. He was also part of a fun clip, another of his specialties, mimicking Breaking Bad. And the self-inflated ego persona for which he’s known (remember the Handsome Men’s Club?) came out in a funny In Memoriam spoof video that was all about himself. To refresh your memory, here’s his opening monologue from 2012.
A long-time television host, Kimmel has been with ABC since 2003, and co-hosted Comedy Central’s The Man Show and Win Ben Stein’s Money. In recent years his resume has also been jam-packed when it comes to awards and other ceremonies. He has also previously hosted the ESPY Awards, the American Music Awards, and the White House Correspondents Dinner.
Kimmel will follow Andy Samberg, who hosted last year’s Emmys to mixed reviews. Samberg’s shining light was an opening segment, in his typical Saturday Night Live digital shorts style, where he rushed around town trying to watch all of the nominated shows.
The Emmy Awards rotate around the four major U.S. networks each year, including Fox, NBC, ABC, and CBS. Last year, it was broadcast on Fox, and the year prior, it was NBC. In total, since the Emmys were first broadcast 1955, ABC has aired the ceremonies 14 times.
This year’s Emmys will air on Sunday, September 18.
Updated on 03-07-2016 by Christine Persaud: Kimmel has confirmed that he will indeed be hosting.
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