The Oscars job that's lost its shine: Jimmy Kimmel TURNS DOWN offer to return as host in 2025 and John Mulaney refuses offer too after controversies and ratings struggles

Just four months after the Oscars aired on ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is already trying to lock down the 2025 host... to no avail of yet.

The Academy reportedly presented a hosting offer to Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted four times including the last two years, though he turned it down, via Puck.

Comedian John Mulaney, whose memorable recollection of Field of Dreams was one of this year's Oscar highlights, also turned down a hosting offer.

This year's Oscars did enjoy a slight ratings bump this year with 19.5 million viewers, up just 4% from 2023's 18.7 million viewers, though it's still nowhere the all-time record of 57.2 million viewers in 1998, the year Titanic won 11 Oscars including Best Picture.

While the ratings have been ticking up each year after a record low of 10.4 million viewers in 2021, they have yet to rise even close to pre-pandemic levels.

Just four months after the Oscars aired on ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is already trying to lock down the 2025 host... to no avail of yet

Comedian John Mulaney , whose memorable recollection of Field of Dreams was one of this year's Oscar highlights, also turned down a hosting offer

Kimmel has hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018, before the Academy experimented with running the show with no host in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

A trio of comediennes - Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes - hosted in 2022, before they went back to Kimmel for 2023 and 2024. 

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Aside from his memorable Field of Dreams presentation, Mulaney hosted the 14th Annual Governors Awards back in January.

After Kimmel's third time hosting, he revealed in a Los Angeles Times interview that he didn't think he'd ever host again.

'I did not think I would ever do it again. I did two of them, and they went well — something crazy happened at one of them with a story I’ll have for the rest of my life,' he said, referring to the Best Picture gaffe where La La Land was announced as Best Picture instead of the real winner, Moonlight.

'I know how much work goes into [the Oscars], so I thought, "Yeah, I don’t necessarily want to do this ever again,"' he added.

However, when hit blockbusters like Barbie and Oppenheimer started getting awards buzz, he started having second thoughts.

'I knew there was a movie that people had seen, and it just makes the job easier. I am sitting in a movie theater watching Barbie and thinking, "Well, maybe I’ll do this again, because at least I have a point of reference with everyone,"' he said.

Kimmel has hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018, before the Academy experimented with running the show with no host in 2019, 2020 and 2021. 

Aside from his memorable Field of Dreams presentation, Mulaney hosted the 14th Annual Governors Awards back in January

'I did not think I would ever do it again. I did two of them, and they went well — something crazy happened at one of them with a story I’ll have for the rest of my life,' he said, referring to the Best Picture gaffe where La La Land was announced as Best Picture instead of the real winner, Moonlight

'We are lucky to have Jimmy [Kimmel], who helped create one of the best Oscars last year. John Mulaney also did an incredible job,' Kramer said

'I made a joke about Moonlight that made it clear to me that the vast majority of the room had not seen the movie, even though it won Best Picture,' Kimmel said of his first year hosting in 2017.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer was asked about Kimmel's hosting duties and the possibility of Mulaney hosting in a June interview with Variety.

'We are lucky to have Jimmy [Kimmel], who helped create one of the best Oscars last year. John Mulaney also did an incredible job,' Kramer said.   

'All I will say is, with whomever hosts the show moving forward, we want to continue with this tone of celebration, respect, humor, and a great love of movies. We have some great options,' he said.