Ellen DeGeneres will host the 86th Annual Academy
Awards, the comedian and talk show host announced on Twitter Friday.
It will be her second time helming the yearly kudoscast,
having previously hosted the 2007 ceremony. DeGeneres is currently host of an
eponymous daytime syndicated talk show from Warner Bros.
The Oscars air on Sunday, March 2 on ABC, and are being
executive produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron for the second consecutive
year.
"We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres
host the Oscars," said Zadan and Meron. "As a longtime friend, we had
always hoped to find a project for us to do together and nothing could be more
exciting than teaming up to do 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 Theatre, and in homes
around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are."
