Jimmy Kimmel hosting the Emmys, first major awards show amid the pandemic

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel will host the first major Hollywood awards ceremony of the coronavirus pandemic — but just how the Emmy Awards will be held remains cloudy.

Kimmel, who is also producing the Sept. 20 ceremony on ABC honoring TV’s best, acknowledged that in Tuesday’s announcement.

“I don’t know where we will do this or how we will do this or even why we are doing this, but we are doing it and I am hosting it,” the ABC late-night host said in a statement.

The network said details on the show’s production will be announced soon. Choosing Kimmel to emcee the ceremony reverses course from last year’s no-host Emmys.

The entertainment industry is just beginning to restart production following a months-long shutdown aimed at curtailing the spread of COVID-19. Orchestrating an awards ceremony during the ongoing pandemic with its crowd of presenters, nominees and guests is a daunting prospect, whether done virtually or otherwise.

Nominations for the 72nd prime-time Emmys will be announced by the TV academy on July 28.