Host Jimmy Kimmel reveals famed Oscars red carpet is now champagne-colored: 'No blood will be shed'
Pop the champagne to toast the shocking new color of the arrivals carpet for the 95th Academy Awards.
Host Jimmy Kimmel revealed Wednesday that the most famous red carpet of them all, the carpet which every Hollywood star will walk Sunday at the Oscars, will be (wait for it) ... champagne-colored.
"This carpet is so beautiful," Kimmel said during the rollout of the new carpet outside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Kimmel joked that the change was prompted by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock onstage at last year's show.
"People have been asking if there's going to be any trouble this year, is there going to be any violence this year? I would certainly hope not," Kimmel said. "I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet rather than a red carpet shows just how confident we are that no blood will be shed."
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The Oscars carpet has been now iconic red since the 33rd Academy Awards, hosted by Bob Hope in 1961.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang were also on hand for Wednesday's creamy champagne rollout.
Given the gravity of the moment, and watching a scrum of photographers and videographers following the unveiling, Kimmel cracked, "I've never really done play-by-play for carpeting before."
After it was complete, he said, "Well, we did it, guys. We got the carpet. Now we have a show."
#Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked that "no blood will be shed" at the ceremony as he joined workers in Hollywood for the ceremonial rolling out of this year's Champagne-colored carpet. pic.twitter.com/bVk968qvlQ
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) March 8, 2023
Breathless news of the champagne carpet broke during a media press conference with Oscar show producers Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, who were promptly asked about the color change Wednesday. Kirschner declined to comment.
The third-time Oscar host Kimmel joked in an interview with USA TODAY that he has been "studying the martial arts since they asked me to host" in case of unexpected violence.
"I'm ready for some things, but anything that involves violence or me having to run, I'm very not ready," Kimmel added. "They had some kind of crisis management meeting where I guess they dream up scenarios that we might face, but no one has filled me on in on any of that. So if there is a crisis, I'll be the only one left in the dark."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oscars carpet color goes champagne instead of iconic red
