"We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres host the Oscars," said Zadan and Meron in a statement. "As a longtime friend, we had always hoped to find a project for us to do together and nothing could be more exciting than teaming up to do the Oscars. There are few stars today who have Ellen's gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity. She is beloved everywhere and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theatre, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are."
"I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say - the third time's the charm," added DeGeneres.
"I agreed with Craig and Neil immediately that Ellen is the ideal host for this year's show," said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy president. "We're looking forward to an entertaining, engaging and fun show."
"Ellen is talented, wonderfully spontaneous, and knows how to entertain a worldwide audience," Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO, stated. "She's a big fan of the Oscars; we're huge fans of hers. It's a perfect match."
"It is an honor to welcome back Ellen DeGeneres as the host of the biggest entertainment celebration of the year," said Paul Lee, president, ABC Entertainment Group. "She is the consummate entertainer, equally beloved by her peers in the industry, movie fans and television viewers. We very much look forward to having her back on ABC for Oscar Sunday." DeGeneres hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. DeGeneres' syndicated talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," has earned a total of 45 Daytime Emmys during its 10 seasons.
Her acting career in television included roles in several successful sitcoms before being offered a part on "These Friends of Mine" by ABC. After the first season, the show was renamed "Ellen." Running from 1994-1998, the show garnered record ratings, with DeGeneres receiving Emmy nominations each season in the Best Actress category. In 1997 DeGeneres was the recipient of the Peabody Award and earned an Emmy for writing the critically acclaimed "Puppy Episode" when her character came out as a gay woman to a record 46 million viewers.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. The presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.