The 85th Oscars were almost hosted by Jimmy Fallon. According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, the funnyman was in negotiations with the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences president Tom Sherak for the hosting gig.
The job would have included "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels running the show, but when talks stalled, Fallon said he had to move on:
"I couldn't meet that deadline, so I stopped all negotiations," he said to the Times.
Now the "Jimmy Fallon Live!" host is in talks for next year's program, but is running into further roadblocks as ABC, the network airing the Oscars, has raised objections to having the late-night star from rival NBC play emcee on its broadcast. To complicate matters Fallon is a direct competitor of ABC's late night host, Jimmy Kimmel.
ABC, however, say individuals with knowledge of the situation, have no say in who will tackle hosting duties.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Entertainment News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.