Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Plan for Oscars Opening Monologue

Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the Oscars on Sunday night, and viewers now have an idea of what to expect from the late-night comic’s opening monologue.

As far as the format that he intends to follow, Kimmel told Vanity Fair he will do much of the same as last year. However, he intends to take a “looser” approach that plays more off the live audience.

“I’m gonna do basically the same thing but with different jokes,” Kimmel said. “It’s kind of the same drill. I feel like I learned little things, subtle things. Every time you do something like this you gain wisdom because the audience is not like the audience of your talk show. They’re not there to see you. You’re there to see them, so it’s just a different approach.”

“I’ve learned not to overplan the show. I’ve learned you should play to the audience in front of you rather than the audience at home, and to keep it loose if possible. Some of these things tend to be very tightly wound,” he continued.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host will also touch on the biggest controversies in Hollywood, such as the wave of sexual harassment and assault allegations coming out against key figures. He says he will talk about the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, but will try his best to make the crowd comfortable with the humor.

“It’s very tricky because when people are scared they don’t laugh, and when there’s a camera in their face they behave differently than they do in a comedy club or in the audience on a talk show,” he said. “When you’re put in that position, those in the audience become a little bit of a deer in the headlights. That’s the part [where] you have to rely on experience and the knowledge of your medium.”

As for what producers are expecting out of Kimmel’s comedy, co-producer Michael De Luca promises that Kimmel will take a different approach to the Oscars than he would his talk show.

“Jimmy’s job as the host of his own show is different than his job as the Oscars host,” De Luca told USA Today. “(He) intuitively knows what the Oscars call for.”

The 2018 Oscars ceremony will air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo Credit: ABC / Image Group LA