As of this writing, President Donald Trump has not yet chimed in on Jimmy Kimmel‘s hosting of the 89th Oscars, but 12% of our readers are still channeling Trump in thinking that Kimmel’s performance was “sad!” However, that’s just the small minority. A whopping 71% of our readers agree that the longtime ABC personality was “amazing” at his first at-bat. The remaining 17% voted that Kimmel was “kinda forgettable.” What did YOU think about Kimmel’s hosting skills? Be sure to sound off in the comments section below.
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Kimmel’s biggest moments were his monologue poking fun of the various nominees, when he dropped candies from the ceiling, and his well-received comedy bit of letting a bus tour of unsuspecting people into the Dolby Theatre. He also got extra credit points for the self-deprecating way he handled the Best Picture mix-up at the end of the show. “I blame myself for this,” Kimmel joked. “Let’s remember, it’s just an awards show. We hate to see people disappointed, but the good news is we got to see some extra speeches. I knew I would screw this show up!”
After years of hosting the Emmys (2012 and 2016) and the American Music Awards (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008) on ABC, Kimmel finally landed his dream job — hosting the Oscars. He joins a list of late-night TV talk show hosts like David Letterman (1995) and Jon Stewart (2006, 2008) to emcee Hollywood’s biggest night, but those two received mixed reactions from Oscar fans. See all of the Oscar hosts through the years.
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Kimmel follows two recent hosts who didn’t earn the best reviews for hosting the Oscars, Chris Rock (2016) and Neil Patrick Harris (2015). Many consider 2014’s host Ellen DeGeneres as the best of modern times thanks in part to the impromptu celebrity selfie she took with the likes of Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. But did Kimmel out-Ellen Ellen by excelling at his audience gags and impromptu one-liners? Time will tell.
