Jimmy Kimmel credits ‘Barbie’ for his return as Oscars host

Three-time Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel reveals the movie Barbie convinced him to return for a fourth go-round.

The host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! tells the Los Angeles Times in an interview published on Tuesday, February 20, that after hosting the awards show in 2017, 2018 and 2023, he wasn’t sure he would “ever” do it again.

“I did two of them, and they went well — something crazy happened at one of them with a story I’ll have for the rest of my life,” he joked, referring to La La Land accidentally being announced as the Best Picture winner instead of Moonlight at the 2017 telecast.

Then, says Kimmel, “I am sitting in a movie theater watching Barbie and thinking, ‘Well, maybe I’ll do this again, because at least I have a point of reference with everyone.’”

Kimmel recently reunited three Barbie cast members — Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon — for an Oscars promo inspired by the film.

Only three people have hosted the Oscars more times than Kimmel. Bob Hope did it 19 times, Billy Crystal nine, and Johnny Carson five times.

As for how he found himself in such esteemed company, Kimmel tells the outlet, “So much of my life makes no sense, I’ve stopped trying to make sense of it.”