WASHINGTON — All eyes are on late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel as he takes on the Oscars for a third time on Sunday.
Kimmel, who is a seasoned host, is expected to acknowledge when Will Smith slapped host Chris Rock during last year's show in a comedic fashion, according to show producers. Kimmel’s challenge will be to reference The Slap without allowing another Oscars to become defined by it.
The late-night show host is known to handle unexpected events well, as he experienced the infamous envelope mix-up during his first time hosting in 2017.
Regardless of what's to come at the 2023 Oscars, Kimmel told PEOPLE that he will "give it 110 percent."
How much is Jimmy Kimmel getting paid to host Oscars?
While host salaries vary depending on who takes on the gig, Jimmy Kimmel has revealed his previous Oscars paycheck amount.
During an episode of his late-night show last year, Kimmel and Wanda Sykes got into specifics about what it takes to host the Oscars.
Sykes, who at the time was part of the 2022 Oscars host trifecta, along with Amy Shumer and Regina Hall, said she was excited about hosting but soon realized that hosting the Academy Awards was actually going to cost her money.
When Kimmel asked how much money she was being paid, Sykes replied that she didn't even know but could assume it was "scale," the minimum that SAG-AFTRA union members can get paid.
Kimmel revealed that during his two previous hosting experiences at the Oscars, he was paid "less than" scale.
“I got paid $15,000 to host the Oscars. And there’s one of me! You guys will probably have to split that," Kimmel replied to Sykes. "Which sounds like a lot for one night but it's months of work leading up to it."
The 95th Academy Awards will air live on ABC on Sunday, Mar. 12, at 8 p.m. ET.