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Emmy Awards hosts through the years

Emmy Awards hosts through the years: Seth Meyers | 2014

Seth Meyers hosted the Primetime Emmys for the first time this year, landing largely mixed reviews. Click through the gallery for a look at notable emcees since the ceremony’s debut in 1949. (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)

Neil Patrick Harris | 2013, 2009

After winning the hearts of TV critics for his 2009 Emmy emcee debut and successfully guiding three years of Tony Awards to fruition, this “host-savant” anchored both the Tony and Emmy Awards shows in 2013. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Jimmy Kimmel | 2012

TV veteran Kimmel presented the 64th Primetime Emmys, perhaps a surprising first for a man toting a bevy of emcee gigs throughout his career. Nielsen reports that Kimmel’s performance delivered a 6% viewer increase from 2011, but scored a 3.8 rating to tie the all-time Emmys low in 2008. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Jane Lynch | 2011

After snagging an Emmy in 2010 for supporting actress in a comedy series as Sue Sylvester in “Glee,” Lynch swapped sweatpants for floor-length gowns as the 2011 Emmys host. According to Nielsen, the awards show’s 63rd edition took an 8% dip in total viewers from its previous year. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Ryan Seacrest, Heidi Klum, Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst | 2008

The 60th Primetime Emmys was a historical disaster, yielding the show’s lowest-ever ratings (an unmemorable 3.8). Producers learned their lesson next year: Get Neil Patrick Harris to do the job five reality TV show hosts couldn’t. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Conan O’Brien | 2006, 2003, 2002

With a 6-foot-4 stature, the comedian and seasoned television host tends to make a statement. Critics lauded his Emmy performance in 2006 as a high point in the show (pun intended). Here Emmy host O’Brien is pictured serenading the audience during the 2002 Primetime Emmy Awards. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

Bryant Gumbel |1997

Warning alarms should have sounded when the sportscaster and long-time co-host of NBC’s “Today” show admitted to his lack of comedy experience. Successful in all things serious, Gumbel didn’t fair as well during the dignified but forgettable awards night. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Ellen DeGeneres | 2005, 2003, 2001, 1994

In 2001, DeGeneres was tasked with entertaining a post-9/11 audience. The Louisiana native returned to the 2005 Emmy stage, again bringing much-needed laughter to viewers less than a month after Hurricane Katrina. (DeGeneres and Emmy nominee Patricia Richardson during the 1994 telecast.) (Patrick Downs / Los Angeles Times)

Angela Lansbury | 1993

Actress Angela Lansbury holds the record for most Emmy nomination losses (18), 16 of which were for lead actress in a drama series. We hope resentment wasn’t the cause of her 1993 emcee flop. Here she poses as detective Jessica Fletcher from the television series “Murder She Wrote.” (Gene Trindl / CBS)

Bruce Willis | 1987

Actor Bruce Willis, whose lengthy career began in television, hosted the Emmys the same year he won this award. A 1987 file photo shows Willis, winner of lead actor in a drama series for his work in the detective series “Moonlighting,” backstage. (Marissa Roth / Los Angeles Times)

Bill Cosby | 1969-70, 1966

At 28, the comedian became not only the first African American to win an Emmy for a leading role in a television series, but also the first to co-host the Emmy Awards. In this 1970 photo, Bill Cosby and co-host Dick Cavett hold Emmy statuettes. (ABC photo archives / via Getty Images )

Frank Sinatra & Dick Van Dyke | 1968

While crooner Frank Sinatra and funnyman Dick Van Dyke both pack impressive sets of vocal chords, their career similarities end there. The odd duo was a smash hit when they showed unexpected chemistry as emcees during the Emmys in 1968. (Library of Congress / Los Angeles Times)

Johnny Carson | 1971-74, 1962

Carson wins our award for MVP of the Emmys, ushering winners to the stage four years in a row. Perhaps the Emmys was just a warm-up -- Carson went on to host the Academy Awards five times between 1978-1983. (Library of Congress / NY World Co.)

Ed Sullivan | 1954

A portrait of Ed Sullivan, journalist, TV host and emcee of the 6th Emmy Awards show. Described by Times writer Cecil Smith as being “as much a part of television as the rabbit ears on the TV set,” Sullivan was a good fit for the Emmys dais. (Handout)

Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz | 1952

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, power couple of the ‘50s, hosted the 4th Emmy Awards show. Their night as emcees marked the first time television personalities had hosted the ceremony. A coincidence in numbers: Ball won a total of four Emmys throughout her career. (Hulton Archive / Getty Images )