Jimmy Kimmel Gives Sneak Peek of Emmy-Hosting Gig
Jimmy Kimmel put on a smile as he ceremoniously unraveled the red carpet Wednesday ahead of Sunday's Emmy ceremony, but the first-time host has now revealed what was really going through his mind at that moment.
"I was thinking, like, what if Oprah [Winfrey] was hosting the show? Would they have her kicking a red carpet forward?" Kimmel told ABC News' Nick Watt backstage at the Nokia Theater where the awards show will take place.
"I don't think so," he said. "That was a little bit dangerous."
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Kimmel did have Winfrey by his side for a special post-Oscars show on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" he hosted last February, but now the funnyman will be in the lead role himself, hosting Sunday night's awards show for the first time, all on his own.
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One might think the thought of appearing before millions of television viewers and before an audience of his A-list peers on one of TV's biggest nights might make Kimmel squirm, but the 44-year-old host is more worried about writing his lines for something else, his wedding to fiancé Molly McNearney, a co-head writer for "Live!"
"I'll be nervous about that," he told Watt. "I'm hoping she will write my vows for me."
McNearney could be on the Emmy stage with Kimmel if "Live!" wins the award for outstanding variety series this year, its first nomination in that category. If the show doesn't win, Kimmel is planning an equally entertaining surprise.
"If I lose I'm going to throw a tantrum the likes of which you've never seen on television before," he quipped.
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Kimmel already has a best game show host Emmy in his trophy case from his stint in 1999 as co-host of Comedy Central's long-running game show "Win Ben Stein's Money." That doesn't mean he doesn't want another.
"I'm mostly hoping I win," he joked. "That's really all I care about."
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Kimmel will, of course, not be competing against every TV star at this year's Emmys, airing Sunday at 8 p.m., so he is willing to root for one fellow star to win.
"Bryan Cranston, a little-known fact, was my son's Little League coach," Kimmel said, referring to the "Breaking Bad" star who, if he wins Sunday, would take home his fourth consecutive Emmy in the best actor, drama, category. "I would like to see him win."