Jimmy Kimmel has warned this year’s Oscars host Wanda Sykes that she’s being ‘robbed’ after sharing the shocking amount he was paid for the awards show.
Wanda will do the honours of hosting the Academy Awards on Sunday alongside comedian Amy Schumer and actress Regina Hall.
It stirred fond memories for Kimmel, who hosted the prestigious film awards in 2017 and 2018, but then reminded him of his surprisingly low fee.
After sharing her excitement to front the Oscars, Wanda told the late night talk show host this week: ‘I realised that out of all the jobs that I have, this one is actually gonna cost me money.’
Kimmel, 54, then asked Wanda, 58, how much she’s being paid, to which she revealed: ‘I don’t even know. It’s like scale, probably.’
Scale is the basic minimum rates established by the SAG-AFTRA union.
The talk show host then shared: ‘It’s less than that. I got paid $15,000 (£11,000) to host the Oscars, and there’s one of me. You guys are probably gonna have to split all that.
‘It sounds like a lot for one night, but it’s months of work leading up to it.’
He added: ‘You’re getting robbed. You know what? Hold out right now, because they need hosts!’
However, Wanda has already cooked up a master plan to boost her pay cheque and joked: ‘I’ve already decided, I’m just going to steal an Oscar.’
It was announced last month that the 94th Oscars would be fronted by three hosts, with show producer Will Packer saying at the time: ‘This year’s show is all about uniting movie lovers.
‘It’s apropos that we’ve lined up three of the most dynamic, hilarious women with very different comedic styles. I know the fun Regina, Amy and Wanda will be having will translate to our audience as well. Many surprises in store! Expect the unexpected.’
In a brief and joint comment, Wanda, Amy and Regina added: ‘We want people to get ready to have a good time. It’s been a while.’
It was confirmed this week that Beyonce will be performing at the awards show, singing the nominated Be Alive from King Richard, which is also up for several gongs. The Grammy-winning singer will reportedly perform from a tennis court in Compton and may be joined by star of the film Will Smith.
Billie Eilish, who is nominated along with her brother Finneas O’Connell for No Time To Die, will perform the title song from the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise.
Among the other films nominated for best picture are Power of the Dog, CODA, West Side Story and Belfast.
The Oscars 2022 will take place live in Los Angeles, California on Sunday.
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