Late-night talk show host and “Saturday Night Live” alum Jimmy Fallon has officially been tapped to host the 2010 Emmy Awards, NBC confirmed Tuesday. The move had been rumored since last week.
Fallon, who currently hosts the network’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” joins Ricky Gervais on NBC’s roster for upcoming awards show hosts. Gervais will be back on stage for next year’s Golden Globes telecast.
After getting off to a rough start–with immense critical disapproval–“Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” has becoming something of an Internet darling, with many of his sketches and parody videos (including “Lost” parody “Late” and “Glee” parody “6bee”) generating vast viral attention.
“Jimmy has many talents. He can sing, he can dance, he does impersonations, and he does it gracefully and with ease,” said executive producer Don Mischer. “I think he’ll make a terrific host and we are really looking forward to working with him.”
Fallon cracked, “Hosting the Emmys has been a dream of mine ever since they told me I was doing it.”
The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards take place on August 29.