Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting the 2018 Oscars, to be held Sunday, March 4, on ABC.
He'll probably do a great job. But there are other options.
For the most part, the hosts for major awards shows are the same people who host late night comedy talk shows. Seth Meyers just handled the Globes, Jimmy Kimmel emceed last year's Oscars, Stephen Colbert had the Emmys, and James Corden will host the Grammys again in January.
It makes sense. Hosting a major awards show is a tough job. They seem perpetually at risk of becoming stale, solemn affairs. It's up to the host to keep it energetic, manage egos of big stars, and honor the TV shows, movies, or songs at the same time. This is pretty much what late-night talk show hosts do on a smaller scale every night.
But in a Balkanized media landscape, where there are so many different kinds of shows, movies, and types of music on so many different kinds of platforms, there's also something to be said for ejecting the standard trope of having a white male late-night funnyman host the show.
There's plenty of talent in all corners of the industry. Take Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, two "Saturday Night Live" alumni who made the Golden Globes ceremonies a blast when they hosted. And while Anne Hathaway and James Franco flopped the year they hosted the Oscars, it doesn't mean the show should do away with having a pair of actors try it again.
Here are 27 potential Oscar hosts who could inject some more fun into the show while keeping it classy. Heck, come to think of it, they could work for the Golden Globes or Emmys as well.
Issa Rae
The showrunner, actress, and writer is best known for HBO's "Insecure," but she's ready for a bigger spotlight. Rae is charming and hilarious in every interview she gives, and she has the chops to put on a good show and give every star their due.
Samantha Bee
Give a female late-night talk show host a chance! The Jimmys are fine, but Bee's TBS show "Full Frontal" is just as funny and much, much sharper — particularly when it comes to the position of women in society, which is currently plaguing Hollywood. She could do a lot with a stage like the Golden Globes or Oscars.
Ellen DeGeneres and Jon Stewart
Ellen did a great job at the Oscars in 2014. Give her another go! In the past few years, her star has only risen as she's figured out how to grab viral moments from the web and translate them to everyone, or cause viral moments herself.
Jon Stewart is a little musty, but he's due for a return. His dry, cutting humor is a perfect compliment to Ellen's shrewd, bubbly approach. Pairing them together would be perfect.
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