Jimmy Kimmel told Neil Patrick Harris he wasn't presenting the Oscars - "right before" he was confirmed as host

Neil recalled: "The last time I talked to Jimmy was right before he announced he was doing it. I had gone to L.A. to do a kids show sponsored by RED, the AIDS Foundation, and I saw him afterwards and I said, 'Are you going to do it or what? You're on ABC, the show is on ABC,' and he said 'No, I'm not going to do it.' Then a week later he announced he's doing it."

But the 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' star doesn't mind not being let in on the secret and thinks Jimmy will do a great job.

He said: "I couldn't be happier, I can't wait to see what he does.

"I hope he brought his tap shoes ... I hope he's doing a tap number because of 'La La Land'. I assume there will be not a lot of singing and dancing by Jimmy Kimmel but he could surprise us all.

"He could rap! He could do a Lin-Manuel Miranda-esque rap about all the shows."

The 43-year-old star also suggested Jimmy could give out alcohol to the attendees, following previous hosts Chris Rock and Ellen DeGeneres delighting the audiences with Girl Scout cookies and pizza - but he quickly realised that wasn't the best idea.

He told People: "Maybe [he could give out] airplane bottles of alcohol. It seems like the crowd would appreciate that more than a thin mint.

"Although, the crowd fills in with non-winners at the Oscars. So, it gets a little surly by the last half hour."