Jimmy Kimmel to host 2020 Emmy Awards: 'I don't know where we will do this or how'

The 2021 Oscars may be two months delayed, but the 2020 Emmy Awards are chugging along on schedule. 

ABC announced Tuesday that comedian Jimmy Kimmel will host this year's 72nd Emmy Awards, which are still set to air on ABC Sept. 20 (8 EDT/5 PDT). This will be the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host's third time as the emcee of TV's biggest night (he took center stage in 2012 and 2016). Details about how and where the telecast would be filmed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic were not yet revealed. 

“I don't know where we will do this or how we will do this or even why we are doing this, but we are doing it and I am hosting it,” Kimmel said in a statement. 

ABC is simultaneously pursuing plans for both a traditional broadcast in a theater setting and a "virtual" one produced remotely.

"Jimmy and the team are being very thoughtful and exploring all options," says ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke, in an interview. "We're waiting until the last possible moment to pivot.  Luckily Jimmy in particular has some experience with that."

More:Oscars delayed two months until April by COVID-19; films released by Feb. 28 now eligible

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted Hollywood productions, and award shows have not been exempt from the fallout. Because most film releases have been delayed due to movie theater closures, the Oscars this week announced that the traditionally winter ceremony won't air until April 25, 2021, and that it will extend the eligibility window two months, to February 28. 

The Emmy eligibility period, however, runs from June 1 to May 31, and so most series that aimed to compete for this year's awards aired enough episodes to compete, before being affected by the mid-March production shutdown. Networks and streamers have started to feel the pain this summer, as new episodes of typical summer favorites like ABC's "The Bachelorette" and Showtime's "Shameless" are absent. 

More:Who makes the best TV in quarantine? 'American Idol,' Fallon thrive, while 'Ellen,' 'View' struggle

Kimmel is no stranger to hosting awards under unusual circumstances. He hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018 (the last time they had a host), and was present for the infamous envelope debacle, in which "La La Land" was mistakenly named best picture, even though the true winner was "Moonlight."

Contributing: Gary Levin