Jimmy Kimmel Tapped To Host & Executive Produce The 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards
ABC has selected Jimmy Kimmel to host the upcoming 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Surprisingly, the Emmys are still going to happen despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the network has selected Kimmel to not only host but also to serve as executive producer.
“I don’t know where we will do this or how we will do this or even why we are doing this, but we are doing it and I am hosting it,” said the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host.
The 2020 show will be the 52-year-old’s third time hosting the Primetime Emmy Awards.
The show is still set to air on Sunday, September 20. It is expected to be simulcast live on both coasts. It is not yet clear if the awards show will be filmed remotely. Kimmel has been filming episodes of his long-running ABC talk show from home for several months now, so it is possible he could continue that tradition for the Emmys.
Initially, the award show was set to be telecast from the Microsoft Theater, but it is too early to tell if that will still be the desired course of action.
Karey Burke, the current president of ABC Entertainment, said they were confident that Kimmel would “deliver a uniquely entertaining, funny and moving Primetime Emmys show.”
Burke also commended him for being a “true master of ceremonies who reveres this industry and its people; and just as Jimmy has done with his own show over the past few months, he will tackle this momentous event with heart and humor, and bring some much-needed joy and optimism to our television colleagues and viewers at home.”
The Hollywood Reporter noted that ABC has had to deal with quite a bit of “awards-related movement” due to the public health crisis.
While the date for the Emmys has not moved, the 2021 Academy Awards was pushed back until April 25. The Oscars air annually on the network.
The window of voting for the Emmys has also changed slightly, with voting set to start on July 2 and nominations scheduled to be announced on July 28.
Responses to the news of Kimmel being selected for the 2020 Primetime Emmys host have been mixed. There were a lot of Twitter users who felt that ABC chose a “safe” and “boring” choice over someone more interesting.
A few voiced their disappointment that the network chose another male host since they have repeatedly selected male entertainers since 2011 when Jane Lynch hosted. Several people said that award shows no longer need hosts, as they thought the 2019 Emmys and the last two Oscar ceremonies did fine without one.
