2023 Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel shares his plan for anyone who tries to slap him

Jimmy Kimmel is set to host this year's Academy Awards, and in preparation for the gig he's reveal his plan if he ends up in a sticky situation like his predecessor Chris Rock.

The Oscar's made headlines last year when Rock received a slap in the face from fellow actor Will Smith, after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith's shaved head.

Smith who also shouted at Rock to "Keep my wife's name out your f*****g mouth" later apologised for his actions and received a 10-year ban from attending the Oscars andother Academy events.

It seems Kimmel is not going to let history repeat itself (unless it's a certain former professional wrestler-turned actor) as he revealed what he would do in this scenario.

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“Well, I size them up, and, if I’m bigger than they are, I beat the s*** out of them on television. And if it’s The Rock, I run," the 55-year-old TV host told The Hollywood Reporter.

When asked if the infamous slap is "almost boring to joke about" now, Kimmel noted how he will address it on the night.

“Well, whatever I say about it, it’s going to have to be great, right?" he said.

US actor Will Smith (R) slaps US actor Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 27, 2022 Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

"Because so much has been said and there’s so much focus on it. I obviously don’t want to make the whole monologue about that, but it would be ridiculous not to mention it.”

Kimmel has seen an Oscar's controversy first hand, having previously hosted the award show in 2017 - the year that La La Land was mistakenly named best picture, when it was actually Moonlight that had won.

"Yeah, we got knocked down the list. It’s disappointing in a lot of ways," Kimmel joked.

"If you’re gonna be part of a f*** up, it might as well be the biggest f*** up ever. Being part of the second-biggest f*** up doesn’t carry as much cachet."

This will be Kimmel's third time hosting the Oscar as he returns for the first time since 2018 - but he was "surprised" when he was asked to host this year.

"I don’t know, it kind of came out of the blue and they clearly got me at the right moment. I did wait a week to tell my wife. I thought she might react negatively, but she was very positive, so I said, “OK, yeah, I’ll do it."

We'll have to wait until March 13 to find out if this year's Oscars turns out to be as dramatic as the last one.

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