Jimmy Kimmel, host of the Oscars this year, hopes he’s a hit. But he wants to avoid a slap.
Sunday’s ceremony comes one year after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the 2022 Academy Awards stage, creating the most infamous moment in Oscars history.
And that means a lot of pressure on Kimmel, especially when it comes to possible monologue jokes about the slap.
“Well, whatever I say about it, it’s going to have to be great, right?” Kimmel told The Hollywood Reporter. “Because so much has been said and there’s so much focus on it. I obviously don’t want to make the whole monologue about that, but it would be ridiculous not to mention it.”
Kimmel also has considered what to do if there is another slap ― especially if he’s the target.
“If I’m bigger than they are, I beat the shit out of them on television. And if it’s the Rock, I run,” Kimmel joked.
Kimmel is no stranger to Oscars drama. He hosted the 2017 ceremony, when “La La Land” was accidentally declared the Best Picture winner over “Moonlight.”
Kimmel said last year’s slap tops that moment in Oscars infamy.
“It’s disappointing in a lot of ways,” he said. “If you’re gonna be part of a fuckup, it might as well be the biggest fuckup ever. Being part of the second-biggest fuckup doesn’t carry as much cachet.”