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Ellen DeGeneres will host this year’s Oscars. DeGeneres herself announced the news Friday morning on Twitter, writing, “It’s official: I’m hosting the #Oscars! I’d like to thank @TheAcademy, my wife Portia and, oh dear, there goes the orchestra.”
The Academy is getting an early start on next year’s Oscar show. In April, it rehired producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to produce next year’s 86th Academy Awards, which will air March 2 on ABC. The decision to bring back the two producers was made by outgoing president Hawk Koch, with the blessing of the board of governors, even though the decision is usually left to the current Academy president.
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DeGeneres’ announcement comes immediately after Cheryl Boone Isaacs was elected new president of the Academy on Tuesday. She promptly endorsed the selection of the two producers and said her first order of business was meeting with them to decide on a host.
Choosing DeGeneres, known for her kindler, gentler humor, signals that the Academy’s next awards show will have a decidedly different tone than the 85th Academy Awards, hosted by Seth MacFarlane, who drew criticism for routines like his song about actresses’ nudity on film.
DeGeneres previously hosted the show in 2007 and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for her work.
“I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say — the third time’s the charm,” DeGeneres said in a statement.
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