Ellen DeGeneres to host the Oscars 2014

Ellen DeGeneres has announced she will be presenting the Oscars next year.

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

The comedienne and host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show previously presented the Oscars in 2007.

She is one of only two women along with Whoopi Goldberg to have ever hosted the Academy Awards solo. Goldberg previously hosted in 1995, 1998 and 2001.

DeGeneres follows in the footsteps of this year’s controversial host Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.

MacFarlane’s tone divided opinion with his opening song and dance number “We saw your boobs”, where he listed the actresses who had gone topless in films.

His jokes went on to touch on race, sexism, domestic violence, Jews and the Lincoln assassination.

The comedian tweeted to confirm he would not be hosting the ceremony again in May: “Traumatised critics exhale: I’m unable to do the Oscars again. Tried to make it work schedule-wise, but I need sleep.”

DeGeneres was praised by critics in 2007 for her relaxed hosting tone.

The New York Times’ Alessandra Stanley said she “brought a casual Friday mood to Fancy Sunday,” while The Washington Post’s Tom Shales said she did an “unpretentious job” despite the ceremony being “punishingly too long” at over four hours.