Oscars: Jimmy Kimmel and ‘favourite’ for 2025 hosting gig rejects offer

The two potential hosts for 2025 have ‘passed’ on the Academy’s offer

The Academy will have a hard time deciding who will host next year’s Oscars after Jimmy Kimmel and fan-favourite John Mulaney have both reportedly “passed” on the offer to lead the 2025 ceremony.

Late night presenter Kimmel, who has hosted for the past two years, reportedly decided months ago that he would not be returning to the role.

Mulaney, whose memorable recollection of Field of Dreams made him a favourite host among fans, was reportedly waiting for Kimmel to officially turn down the offer before making his own decision. But Deadline reports Mulaney rejected the offer too.

Mulaney’s Netflix series Everybody’s In LA is coming to an end while he has a number of other projects in the works, including several stand-up dates.

The role of hosting the Oscars is often seen as a thankless task, since hosts can’t be too politically outspoken but still need to be daring enough to make an impression on the audience.

Kimmel, who has hosted the Oscars four times and the Emmys three times, faced criticism last year for his opening monologue, with The Independent’s critic Adam White calling it “tepid and unfunny”. He hosted the ceremony in 2017 and 2018, before the academy experimented with running the show with no host in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Comedians Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes shared hosting duties in 2022, before the Oscars went back to Kimmel for 2023 and 2024.

Jimmy Kimmel hosting the Oscars in 2018 (AFP via Getty Images)

The presenter had a number of awkward moments during this year’s ceremony, including referring to Robert Downey Jr’s past addiction history in his opening monologue.

Meanwhile, Mulaney left the audiences in stitches with his “hilarious” introduction for the Achievement in Sound category, leading many to conclude that Mulaney will take over hosting duties.

“You know for years movies didn’t have sound, and then they figured it out. Some people say the silent era was the golden era of film. These people are difficult and insane,” he opened.

The actor went on to reference several iconic film moments including an often mocked line from Madame Web, as he continued: “Without sound, we wouldn’t have been able to hear such classic lines as ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat,’ ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ and. ‘He was in the Amazon with my mother when she was researching spiders just before she died.’”

John Mulaney won over the Oscars audience this year with his introduction to the Achievement in Sound category (Getty Images)

In his speech, Mulaney also went on a humorous tangent when he broke down the plot of the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, before he finally listed the nominees for the award.

At the time, fans were begging Mulaney to take on the main hosting duties in 2025.

One fan wrote on X/Twitter at the time: “John Mulaney I am on my hands and knees begging you to host the Oscars”.

Another suggested: “This was John Mulaney’s audition, and he passed with flying colours. He should host next year and many years after that”.

“If John Mulaney isn’t hired to host the Oscars next year, then literally what are we even doing here?” one fan demanded.

The Independent has contacted Kimmel and Mulaney for comment.