When Jimmy Kimmel was revealed as this season’s Oscars host, consensus ruled that he made for a pretty low-profile pick. Well, turns out that Kimmel is being paid accordingly. The master of ceremonies appeared on KROQ’s “The Kevin & Bean Show” on Wednesday, where he got real with the financial transparency. For the gig, Kimmel will pocket $15,000 — not nothing, but maybe not the kind of buck you’d expect a famous person to be paid to lead a room full of famous people to net. Still, Kimmel joked that he’s happy with even that oh-so-paltry sum, saying, “You know why? I think it’s illegal to pay nothing.” Asked if he was making the same amount as hosts Chris Rock and Billy Crystal before him, Kimmel answered, “That’s what they told me.” Of course, while Rock and Crystal are free agents, Kimmel is an employee of ABC, the network airing the awards, so let’s just say money was likely not the object here. Clearly the Academy does not pay per prank.
