Jimmy Kimmel on The Oscars in The Chat Room.

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Jimmy Kimmel on The Oscars in The Chat Room.

The 95th Academy Awards (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)

When it comes to hosting late night, Jimmy Kimmel has always been a bit of a maverick — but he takes that quite literally in his first promo as host of the 2023 Oscars.

In a new video released Tuesday, Kimmel walks into the Academy (the Top Gun flight academy in San Diego, not the one for the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) where he takes in the hall of famous hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, and Steve Martin. There's even a special plaque for nine-time host Billy Crystal.

Kimmel is then greeted by Jon Hamm and Charles Parnell, reprising their roles from Top Gun: Maverick, who give him the mission details, including the objective: a three-hour ceremony ("three hours, right," Kimmel laughs). "ABC has tasked up with finding a host who's unflappable and unslappable," says Parnell's Admiral Bates, referencing Will Smith's infamous slap of presenter Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

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