Mad Men star Jon Hamm has been tapped to host the
2013 ESPY Awards.
The announcement was made Wednesday morning during Hamm's
appearance on Live! With Kelly and Michael.
"The ESPYs is designed to showcase the year's best
sports moments in a sharp, fun and entertaining manner and Jon's the perfect
host for this year's show. His appearances on shows like 30 Rock and SNL show
that humor and creativity are two of his main strengths," said Maura
Mandt, the show's executive producer. "The combination of Jon's dry
wit with his passion for sports will give fans a unique and original view of
the year in sports."
The ESPYs are slated to air live July 17 at 9 p.m. ET on
ESPN from Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. As previously announced, Good
Morning America (and former SportsCenter) anchor Robin Roberts will
be honored with the Arthur Ashe courage award. For this year's show, the awards
will be voted on by the fans.
"I'm very excited to be hosting the ESPYs. As
a longtime sports fan and a marginally successful high school athlete I feel my
skill-set jibes well with a host's duties," said Hamm. "I now
have to figure out what cleats to wear with a tuxedo."
