Chris Rock and Jimmy Kimmel Joke About Not Hosting 2021 Oscars: 'I Was Like a Backseat Driver’

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Hosting the Academy Awards is no laughing matter, but Chris Rock and Jimmy Kimmel are poking fun at not being involved this year.

While appearing virtually on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, the 56-year-old comedian roasted the Oscars' 93rd annual awards show, which was presented without a host for the third year running.

"You know what we did this year, you and I? We didn't host the Oscars!" Rock jokingly told Kimmel, 53.

"We sure didn't!" the late night host agreed. "It was a real weird feeling of relief to not have been involved in that, at all."

The 93rd annual Academy Awards were watched by 9.85 million viewers, accounting for a 58.3% drop from the previous year, Variety reported at the time. The ceremony was likely hampered by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, which has largely kept audiences out of movie theaters since last March.

RELATED: Former Oscars Host Billy Crystal Explains Why the Show Needs a Host: 'You Need a Center'

Jimmy Kimmel Live Jimmy Kimmel and Chris Rock

During his Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview, Rock — who hosted the Oscars in 2005 and 2016 —continued to joke about the lack of an emcee at this year's ceremony.

"At home, I was like a backseat driver. My father used to say, 'Brake! Brake!' I was like, 'Joke! Joke!' " Rock quipped.

"Somebody must have gone to the Oscars and said, have you ever considered subtracting all the humor from the Oscars?" said Kimmel, who hosted in 2017 and 2018.

"They did a good job, if that was what they went for!" Rock replied.

Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.

Richard Cartwright/Walt Disney Television via Getty Chris Rock and Jimmy Kimmel

RELATED: Former Golden Globes Host Ricky Gervais Trolls 2021 Oscars Ceremony: 'Was It Something I Said?'

During a recent interview with PEOPLE, former Oscars host Billy Crystal spoke about why having a host for the ceremony is so important.

"To me, a show needs a host, you need a center," he said. "Let's face it, after the first 40 minutes, four out of five people have lost. By the end of the night, the winners are all backstage and you're dealing with disgruntled people who are disappointed. You want to make them feel good and the home audience to stay with the show."