Comedian Joel McHale will host the first ESPYS awards ceremony to air on ABC in July. The ESPN-produced awards show honors the best in sports from the past year and also serves as a fundraiser.
ESPN announced today that McHale will host the ceremony, which will air live on Wednesday, July 15 at 8 p.m. from the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. McHale currently hosts E!’s The Soup and just filmed a sixth season of Community for Yahoo.
“Joel is an extremely talented performer, a unique voice and a huge sports fan,” Connor Schell, senior vice president, ESPN Films and Original Content, said in a statement. “His experience as a comedian and love of sports make Joel the perfect host for The ESPYS inaugural broadcast on ABC.”
McHale was actually on the University of Washington football team for a year and a half. He’s also a big Seattle Seahawks fan, as he made clear in our interview with him last year. He also tested his hosting skills at the 2014 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“I’m thrilled to be hosting The ESPYS. Just ecstatic,” McHale said. “After my stunning victory in the Iditarod this year by only using six Bichon Frises and a lamb, I think the sports world saw me as the logical host.”
In addition to celebrating athletes, the ESPYS also helps raise money and awareness for The V Foundation for cancer research. The ESPYS raise over $1 million a year for the foundation, named after the late basketball coach Jim Valvano.
image by Daniel S Levine
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