Ellen DeGeneres Will Host 86th Academy Awards

Ellen DeGeneres will host the Oscars for the second time this March, taking over from last year’s controversial host, Seth MacFarlane.

“We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres host the Oscars…There are few stars today who have Ellen’s gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity. She is beloved everywhere and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theater, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are,” said producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron — also returning for their second time — in a statement posted on the official Oscars website.

DeGeneres, who first hosted the show in 2007, took to Twitter to announce the news, where her thanks were cut off by the orchestra and the 140 character limit.

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs expressed her excitement at the news, saying, “I agreed with Craig and Neil immediately that Ellen is the idea host for this year’s show. We’re looking forward to an entertaining, engaging and fun show.”

When DeGeneres hosted the Oscars in 2007, she reportedly pulled in 39.9 million viewers, a number topped only this past year when MacFarlane drew in an audience of 40.3 million. It seems the producers hope lightning will strike twice, and they are not the only ones.

“I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say – the third time’s the charm,” DeGeneres joked in the press release.

Of course, DeGeneres did a pretty good job her first go-round. Watch her interact with the star-studded crowd at the 2007 Oscars below.

The 86th Academy Awards will air Sunday Mar. 2, 2014 on ABC.

— Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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