5 things to expect from Jimmy Kimmel hosting the Emmys
ABC's resident late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel will be poking fun at the world of TV when he takes the stage to host the Emmys on Sunday night, and he knows exactly the kind of host he wants to be.
"The show needs to have energy, it needs to be funny, and it needs to end on time," the Jimmy Kimmel Live host said.
What does that criteria look like? Here are five things to expect.
1. The evening will be packed with carefully crafted jokes
Funny doesn't happen overnight, Kimmel explained. He and a team of writers have been hard at work trying to pick out the best of the best jokes so his monologue -- and the whole show -- will have you roaring with laughter.
"We write like 1,000 jokes and then we have to whittle it down to figure out which jokes are the best," Kimmel said of the process. "You know you have a good script or a good show when you have to start throwing good jokes out."
2. Kimmel's inner TV nerd will be showing
Kimmel joked that he agreed to host the Emmys because "It's a Sunday. Usually I'm just watching TV anyway."
His typical Sunday night routine -- four hours of television -- will come in handy during his hosting duties. Kimmel has long been a television fanatic, growing up idolizing David Letterman and Johnny Carson, so you can bet his jokes will be rooted in that love across the decades.
3. Kimmel will poke fun at his own home life
Kimmel lives with his wife, Molly McNearney, and their toddler, Jane. He said his relationship with his wife revolves around, you guessed it, television.
"There are so many shows we want to watch that, if we start watching shows separately, it will lead to divorce," he joked.
We all know no one is safe from an award show monologue, so McNearney should probably prepare for her binge-watching habits to be brought up.
4. There might be a bit that involves feeding the crowd
First Ellen Degeneres ordered pizza during the Oscars, then the Girl Scouts came to sell cookies at the Oscars, and now...whatever Kimmel is planning.
"I think the audience should get food at some point during the show," he asserted, adding he would work on making it happen.
But since Kimmel is known for being a prankster, the audience might not want to get their hopes up too much.
5. Underneath it all will be a genuine respect for the craft
No matter how many stars Kimmel roasts during his monologue, he's doing it because deep down he really loves these shows and the people who make them. In fact, he said, he believes TV has never been better.
"There are too many good shows on television," he said. "This really is the Golden Age of television. No matter what anybody said about the '50s, this is it."
Don't miss the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 18 at 7 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. PT LIVE on ABC.
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