The Awardist Oscars Jimmy Kimmel answers the call for an 'unslappable' Oscars host in Top Gun-themed promo The Oscars have a need...a need for an unflappable, unslappable host. By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Published on February 14, 2023 08:52PM EST When it comes to hosting late night, Jimmy Kimmel has always been a bit of a maverick — but he takes that quite literally in his first promo as host of the 2023 Oscars. In a new video released Tuesday, Kimmel walks into the Academy (the Top Gun flight academy in San Diego, not the one for the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) where he takes in the hall of famous hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, and Steve Martin. There's even a special plaque for nine-time host Billy Crystal. Kimmel is then greeted by Jon Hamm and Charles Parnell, reprising their roles from Top Gun: Maverick, who give him the mission details, including the objective: a three-hour ceremony ("three hours, right," Kimmel laughs). "ABC has tasked up with finding a host who's unflappable and unslappable," says Parnell's Admiral Bates, referencing Will Smith's infamous slap of presenter Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Crystal then makes an appearance as Double Admiral Crystal, throwing his support behind Kimmel (and nodding to his many memorable outings as host). Top Gun: Maverick is one of 10 films competing for Best Picture this year, and it is the biggest box office hit of the bunch next to Avatar: The Way of Water. Kimmel hosted the Oscars previously in 2017 (the infamous envelope-gate year) and 2018. He returns after the Academy chose to forgo a host altogether for three years before pivoting to three hosts during the 2022 ceremony. Both on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and during his previous years as host, Kimmel has often leaned into funny pre-taped bits that tie back to the nominated films, as he does in this promo. Watch the clip above for more. The 95th Oscars will air on ABC on Sunday, March 12. Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights leading up to all the major award shows. Related content: 2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards 2023 Oscar nominations announced: See the full list The most shocking snubs and surprises of the 2023 Oscar nominations