Ellen DeGeneres set to host 2014 Academy Awards

Ellen DeGeneres will host the 2014 Academy Awards ceremony, following Seth MacFarlane’s widely criticised stint earlier this year.

The daytime talk show host revealed the news via Twitter:

“It’s official: I’m hosting the #Oscars! I’d like to thank @TheAcademy, my wife Portia and, oh dear, there goes the orchestra.”

DeGeneres previously hosted the telecast in 2007.

Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron had this to say of her hiring:

“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 the audience at the Dolby Theater, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are.”

Though MacFarlane’s efforts saw the Oscar telecast receive a bump in the ratings, his act was savaged by critics who cited misogyny and self-absorption as recurring themes of the night.

When asked on Twitter if he’d ever host the Academy Awards again, he Tweeted, “No way.”