Jimmy Kimmel is nearing a deal to host the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC.
The late-night host is currently in discussions with the network to take on the emcee duties for the second time in his career. He last hosted the show in 2012, the last time ABC broadcast the awards.
Kimmel is a natural choice to host the show, with his “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC locked in a close battle with CBS’ “Late show With Stephen Colbert” for second place in the late-night ratings behind NBC’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” premiered on ABC in 2003 as the network’s first entry in the late-night talk-show wars. In 2014, the network moved the show from midnight to 11:35 p.m., putting it in direct competition with “Late Show” and “Tonight.”
The Big Four broadcast networks, among whom the Emmys rotate, have taken in recent years to turning to talent from their own airwaves to host the Emmys. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Andy Samberg hosted in 2015 for Fox. “Late Night” host Seth Meyers hosted for NBC in 2014, with CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” star Neil Patrick Harris doing the honors in 2013.