Jimmy Kimmel to host Academy Awards

NEW YORK -- The Oscars finally have a host: Jimmy Kimmel will emcee the 89th Academy Awards.

The late-night host will be presiding over the ceremony for the first time. Kimmel has been a regular awards host, having hosted the Emmy Awards (including its broadcast in September) twice and ESPN's ESPY Awards once.

The selection of Kimmel gives ABC, home of the Oscars telecast, the choice the network long had sought. His "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" previously followed ABC's Oscar broadcast. The network also has new muscle to flex; it signed a deal with the Academy of Motion Pictures in August to broadcast the Oscars until 2028.

"Yes, I am hosting the Oscars," Kimmel said on Twitter. "This is not a prank. And if it is, my revenge on the academy will be terrible and sweet."

The academy waited later than usual to name a host for the Feb. 26 event. The long search perhaps was a product of more pressure on the broadcast. Last year's show, hosted by Chris Rock, was dominated by backlash over all-white acting nominees. Its viewership marked an 11-year low for the telecast.

Whether Kimmel can spark a comeback will be a test for him. His Emmy Awards broadcast drew a record-low 11.3 million viewers.

But ABC Television Group chief Ben Sherwood publicly lobbied for Kimmel. In September he said the network was "very hopeful that Jimmy will get" the Oscar hosting gig and that he had "elevated" the Emmys.

This year's Oscar favorites don't appear to feature the kind of big, popular films that can drive audiences to watch the awards. The top contenders -- "Moonlight," "La La Land" and "Manchester by the Sea" -- have together totaled less than $15 million at the box office, though "La La Land" is yet to open.