Jimmy Kimmel undoubtedly has a list of names he plans on mentioning during his hosting duties at the 2024 Oscars, but are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s in red, underlined? The late-night juggernaut says it isn’t likely.
In an interview with CNN two days ahead of the Sunday (March 10) ceremony, Kimmel said that jokes about the high-profile romance are “not off limits, but probably played out.”
The admission will come as a relief to those who groaned through Jo Koy’s quip about the pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end at the Golden Globes in January, which elicited awkward silence and a cold reaction from Swift, who was in the audience that night.
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy had riffed during his monologue, after which cameras cut to a stone-faced Swift as she took a sip from her champagne flute.
Later, Koy clarified that he’d had “no ill intent” in name-checking the 14-time Grammy winner, telling the Los Angeles Times that “the whole intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL.”
Helmed by Kimmel, the 2024 Oscars will air live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC, and will feature performances from Barbie‘s Ryan Gosling, Billie Eilish and Finneas, as well as presentations from Bad Bunny and Wicked costars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Speaking about the trickiness of making jokes without offending their subjects, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host admitted, “It’s not that easy.”
“It depends on the person because some people are more sensitive than others,” he continued. “God help you, if I know you. Like, if you’ve been to my house, you’re in trouble on Oscar night.”
