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Jimmy Kimmel to host the 2023 Oscars: Who has hosted in the past and how are celebrities chosen?

Every year, producers have to make decisions regarding the Oscars, including who will host. There have been more than 60 people who have hosted the show, including some repeaters.

Every year, the biggest stars in the film industry find themselves all in one place for the Academy Awards. While the night is filled with speeches by the winners of the coveted award, the cadence of the event is kept up by the host of the show. 

Hosting the Academy Awards is a big responsibility for the celebrity chosen for the job.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar's producers choose who will host the award show each year.

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Prior to the event being televised, the hosting responsibility typically fell to the Academy President, according to the Oscars website. 

The list of celebrities who have taken on the hosting gig more than once is a short one, although there are some who have run the event numerous times including Bob Hope, Billy Crystal, Johnny Carson, Whoopi Goldberg and Steve Martin.

Comedian and actor Bob Hope holds the record for hosting the Academy Awards 19 times. He hosted the event numerous times before it was televised but also, the first broadcasted show in 1953. 

Hope hosted the Oscars from 1940 to 1943, then returned in 1945, 1946 and 1953. He hosted in 1955, 1958, 1959-1962, 1965-1968 and in 1975. Hope wrapped up his long Oscar hosting career with his last show in 1978.

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Billy Crystal, known for his role in the popular rom-com "When Harry Met Sally," has hosted the Oscars nine times. The first time he hosted was in 1990 and the most recent time was in 2012. It is not likely that Crystal will take on the role again, as he has been open that he is uninterested in the job again.

Johnny Carson, host of the former "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," first hosted the awards in 1979. This started his four-year run as host. He came back for one last time in 1984. 

Jack Lemmon and Whoopi Goldberg have each hosted the Oscars four times. Lemmon and Goldberg are both Oscar winners themselves. 

Lemmon won the best supporting actor award in 1956 for "Mister Roberts" and best actor in a leading role for "Save the Tiger" in 1974. Lemmon's first time hosting the event in 1958 was a team effort. He was a co-host along with Rosalind Russell, James Stewart, Bob Hope, David Niven and Donald Duck, who made the first and only cartoon character to host the show. 

In 1972, he was a co-host again, this time with Helen Hayes, Alan King and Sammy Davis Jr. In 1964 and 1985, Lemmon went solo to host the show.

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Goldberg, an actress and co-host of "The View," won an Oscar for best supporting actress in 1991 for the movie "Ghost." She hosted the Oscars in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2002.

Jerry Lewis hosted the affair in 1956, 1957 and 1959. In 1959, the last award of the night was presented early and the event itself ended 20 minutes before it was meant to. 

David Niven has had experienced memorable moments in the three times he has hosted the Oscars. 

During the 1959 Oscars, he received an award win for his role in "Separate Tables." This was the first and only time that a host won an award on the same night. Then, in 1974, he was the host when Robert Oppel streaked across the stage. 

Steve Martin has also hosted the Academy Awards three times, in 2001, 2003 and 2010. 

Jimmy Kimmel made his Oscar hosting debut in 2017 and then came back for the 2018 event. Kimmel is also the host of this year's Oscars, which will mark his third time in the role. 

Over the years, there have been more than 60 people who have hosted the show. Some other Oscar hosts include Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, Paul Hogan, James Franco, Anne Hathaway, Chris Rock, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. 

Ellen DeGeneres hosted the 2014 Oscars, when she took the iconic selfie that still finds its way across social media platforms years later.

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