Every Oscar Host in History: See the Full List From Douglas Fairbanks to Jimmy Kimmel | Academy Newsletter (2024)

The history of Oscar hosts is nearly as long and varied as that of the awards themselves.

Including co-hosts, more than 60 different people — and one cartoon character — have hosted the annual ceremony, and 25 of them have done it more than once. The show has consistently tinkered with the format and expectations of a host, with multiple events featuring co-hosts, large groups of hosts, or no host at all.

In the early years of the Oscars, before TV broadcasts changed the game, hosting duties often fell to the Academy President — which led to Frank Capra winning Best Picture and Best Director for You Can't Take It With You while he was hosting the 1939 ceremony. Comedian Bob Hope took his first crack at hosting in 1940 and set the standard for how a popular entertainer would emcee the show. Hope wound up hosting or co-hosting the ceremony a whopping 19 times between 1940 and 1978, and everyone from Johnny Carson to Jimmy Kimmel, from Whoopi Goldberg to Amy Schumer, has followed his lead since.

Kimmel once again hosted the 95th Oscars, his third time doing so,with Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang saying, "Jimmy is the perfect host to help us recognize the incredible artists and films of our 95th Oscars. His love of movies, live TV expertise, and ability to connect with our global audiences will create an unforgettable experience for our millions of viewers worldwide." Kimmel will return to host the 96th Oscars on Sunday, March 10.

If you want to brush up on your Oscar history before then, check out the full list of hosts below. And if you think you see an error or two at the bottom of the list, think again: There really were two Oscar ceremonies in 1930 (the 2nd Oscars were in April of that year and the 3rd Oscars were in November), and there was no Oscars in 1933 (the 5th Oscars were in November 1932, and the 6th Oscars were in March 1934).

Bob Hope: 19 times (14 solo, 5 with others)

Billy Crystal: 9 times (solo)

Johnny Carson: 5 times (solo)

Whoopi Goldberg: 4 times (solo)

Jack Lemmon: 4 times (2 solo, 2 with others)

Jimmy Kimmel: 3 times (solo)

Steve Martin: 3 times (2 solo, 1 with others)

Jerry Lewis: 3 times (2 solo, 1 with others)

David Niven: 3 times (all with others)

Every Oscar Host in History: See the Full List From Douglas Fairbanks to Jimmy Kimmel | Academy Newsletter (1)

Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes ahead of the 94th Oscars.

2023 - 95th Oscars: Jimmy Kimmel

2022 - 94th Oscars: Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes

2021 - 93rd Oscars: No Host

2020 - 92nd Oscars: No Host

2019 - 91st Oscars: No Host

2018 - 90th Oscars: Jimmy Kimmel

2017 - 89th Oscars: Jimmy Kimmel

2016 - 88th Oscars: Chris Rock

2015 - 87th Oscars: Neil Patrick Harris

2014 - 86th Oscars: Ellen DeGeneres

2013 - 85th Oscars: Seth MacFarlane

2012 - 84th Oscars: Billy Crystal

2011 - 83rd Oscars: James Franco and Anne Hathaway

2010 - 82nd Oscars: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin

2009 - 81st Oscars: Hugh Jackman

2008 - 80th Oscars: Jon Stewart

2007 - 79th Oscars: Ellen DeGeneres

2006 - 78th Oscars: Jon Stewart

2005 - 77th Oscars: Chris Rock

2004 - 76th Oscars: Billy Crystal

2003 - 75th Oscars: Steve Martin

2002 - 74th Oscars: Whoopi Goldberg

2001 - 73rd Oscars: Steve Martin

2000 - 72nd Oscars: Billy Crystal

1999 - 71st Oscars: Whoopi Goldberg

Every Oscar Host in History: See the Full List From Douglas Fairbanks to Jimmy Kimmel | Academy Newsletter (3)

Whoopi Goldberg opens the 71st Oscars dressed as Queen Elizabeth I.

1998 - 70th Oscars: Billy Crystal

1997 - 69th Oscars: Billy Crystal

1996 - 68th Oscars: Whoopi Goldberg

1995 - 67th Oscars: David Letterman

1994 - 66th Oscars: Whoopi Goldberg

1993 - 65th Oscars: Billy Crystal

1992 - 64th Oscars: Billy Crystal

1991 - 63rd Oscars: Billy Crystal

1990 - 62nd Oscars: Billy Crystal

1989 - 61st Oscars: No Host

1988 - 60th Oscars: Chevy Chase

1987 - 59th Oscars: Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, and Paul Hogan

1986 - 58th Oscars: Alan Alda, Jane Fonda, and Robin Williams

1985 - 57th Oscars: Jack Lemmon, Co-hosts: Candice Bergen, Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Michael Douglas, Gregory Hines, William Hurt, Amy Irving, Diana Ross, Tom Selleck, and Kathleen Turner

1984 - 56th Oscars: Johnny Carson

1983 - 55th Oscars: Walter Matthau, Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, and Richard Pryor

1982 - 54th Oscars: Johnny Carson

1981 - 53rd Oscars: Johnny Carson

1980 - 52nd Oscars: Johnny Carson

1979 - 51st Oscars: Johnny Carson

Every Oscar Host in History: See the Full List From Douglas Fairbanks to Jimmy Kimmel | Academy Newsletter (4)

Johnny Carson at the podium during the 52nd Oscars.

1978 - 50th Oscars: Bob Hope

1977 - 49th Oscars: Warren Beatty, Ellen Burstyn, Jane Fonda, and Richard Pryor

1976 - 48th Oscars: Goldie Hawn, Gene Kelly, Walter Matthau, George Segal, and Robert Shaw

1975 - 47th Oscars: Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, and Frank Sinatra

1974 - 46th Oscars: John Huston, David Niven, Burt Reynolds, and Diana Ross

1973 - 45th Oscars: Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston, and Rock Hudson

1972 - 44th Oscars: Sammy Davis Jr., Helen Hayes, Alan King, and Jack Lemmon

1971 - 43rd Oscars: No Host

1970 - 42nd Oscars: No Host

1969 - 41st Oscars: No Host

1968 - 40th Oscars: Bob Hope

1967 - 39th Oscars: Bob Hope

1966 - 38th Oscars: Bob Hope

1965 - 37th Oscars: Bob Hope

1964 - 36th Oscars: Jack Lemmon

1963 - 35th Oscars: Frank Sinatra

1962 - 34th Oscars: Bob Hope

1961 - 33rd Oscars: Bob Hope

1960 - 32nd Oscars: Bob Hope

1959 - 31st Oscars: Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, David Niven, Laurence Olivier, Tony Randall, and Mort Sahl

Every Oscar Host in History: See the Full List From Douglas Fairbanks to Jimmy Kimmel | Academy Newsletter (5)

Bob Hope (center) with Best Picture winner Cecil B. DeMille ('The Greatest Show on Earth') at the 25th Oscars.

1958 - 30th Oscars: Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, David Niven, Rosalind Russell, James Stewart, and Donald Duck (on film)

1957 - 29th Oscars: Jerry Lewis (with Celeste Holm in New York)

1956 - 28th Oscars: Jerry Lewis (with Claudette Colbert and Joseph L. Mankiewicz in New York)

1955 - 27th Oscars: Bob Hope (with Thelma Ritter in New York)

1954 - 26th Oscars: Donald O'Connor (with Fredric March in New York)

1953 - 25th Oscars: Bob Hope (with Conrad Nagel in New York)

1952 - 24th Oscars: Danny Kaye

1951 - 23rd Oscars: Fred Astaire

1950 - 22nd Oscars: Paul Douglas

1949 - 21st Oscars: Robert Montgomery

1948 - 20th Oscars: No Host

1947 - 19th Oscars: Jack Benny (last half only for radio broadcast)

1946 - 18th Oscars: Bob Hope and James Stewart

1945 - 17th Oscars: John Cromwell and Bob Hope

1944 - 16th Oscars: Jack Benny (last half only for radio broadcast)

1943 - 15th Oscars: Bob Hope (last half only for radio broadcast)

1942 - 14th Oscars: Bob Hope (last half only for radio broadcast)

1941 - 13th Oscars: Bob Hope (last half only for radio broadcast)

1940 - 12th Oscars: Bob Hope (last half only for radio broadcast)

1939 - 11th Oscars: Frank Capra, Academy President

Every Oscar Host in History: See the Full List From Douglas Fairbanks to Jimmy Kimmel | Academy Newsletter (6)

Bob Burns hands Edgar Bergen an Oscar (while Frank Capra looks on) at the 10th Oscars.

1938 - 10th Oscars: Bob Burns

1937 - 9th Oscars: George Jessel

1936 - 8th Oscars: Frank Capra, Academy President

1935 - 7th Oscars: Irvin S. Cobb

1934 - 6th Oscars: Will Rogers

1932 - 5th Oscars: Conrad Nagel, Academy President

1931 - 4th Oscars: Lawrence Grant, Academy Governor - Actors Branch)

1930 - 3rd Oscars: Conrad Nagel

1930 - 2nd Oscars: William C. deMille, Academy President

1929 - 1st Oscars: Douglas Fairbanks, Academy President, and William C. de Mille, Academy Vice President

Every Oscar Host in History: See the Full List From Douglas Fairbanks to Jimmy Kimmel | Academy Newsletter (7)

William C. deMille hands an Oscar to Mary Pickford (with Warner Baxter and Hans Kraly looking on) at the 1st Oscars.

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Jimmy Kimmel to Host the 96th Oscars

Every Oscar Host in History: See the Full List From Douglas Fairbanks to Jimmy Kimmel | Academy Newsletter (2024)

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