Jimmy Kimmel Hopes to Be an 'Unslappable' Oscars Host in 'Top Gun'-Themed Promo

The late night host channeled his best 'Maverick' in the new awards show promo.

Jimmy Kimmel is feeling the need... the need to emcee!

In the first promo for Kimmel's upcoming gig hosting the 95th Academy Awards, Kimmel channels Top Gun: Maverick -- even enlisting stars Jon Hamm and Charles Parnell to reprise their roles as Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson and RADM Solomon "Warlock" Bates, respectively.

"James Christian Kimmel," Hamm says by way of welcome in their Oscars "war room." "Your reputation precedes you," Hamm said. 

"Not in a good way," Parnell chimes in.

"I have to admit I wasn't expecting to be asked to host again," Kimmel tells the crew, who insist they tried to offer the gig to a plethora of other stars, naming celebs like  Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Fey, John Stewart, and Chris Rock all the way down to "a child dressed as a pirate."

But it's Kimmel they're stuck with. "ABC has tasked us with finding a host who is unflappable...and unslappable," Parnell reveals.

"That's good, 'cause I can't get slapped," Kimmel responds. "I cry a lot."

Check out the full promo below -- which includes a full cameo from their "Double Admiral" -- and nine-time Oscars host -- Billy Crystal.

Kimmel was announced as the Oscars host back in November and made sure to poke fun at the offer. The Jimmy Kimmel Live star famously hosted the Oscars in 2017, when the ceremony ended in an unexpected fashion with La La Land mistakenly being announced as the winner of Best Picture when, actually, Moonlight was the winner. 

“Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap. Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said no,” Kimmel said in his statement.


The 95th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be handed out live at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on March 12 starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage.

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