Variety’s Clayton Davis Returns to ABC’s Academy Awards Pre-Show for Fourth Year

Clayton Davis will join ABC’s Oscar pre-show “Countdown to the Academy Awards: On the Red Carpet Live” for the fourth consecutive year.

The warmup for filmdom’s big night will air from 12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. PT on March 2, leading in to ABC’s live telecast of the 97th Academy Awards. Davis will discuss the Oscar race as an unpredictable season closes and offer some of his signature predictions. He’ll be stationed on the carpet outside the Dolby Theatre alongside ABC News’ Linsey Davis, Whit Johnson, Chris Connelly and KABC-TV entertainment chief George Pennacchio.

Davis has led film awards coverage for Variety since 2020. He has since expanded his purview to TV and other key entertainment sectors. He was promoted this month from his previous role as Senior Awards Editor.

“Clayton has redefined and expanded the scope of our awards coverage since he joined us five years ago,” said Variety co-editors in chief Cynthia Littleton and Ramin Setoodeh. “He brings incredible energy and passion to his work every day. He’s a force in our newsroom and a wonderful colleague.”

RELATED CONTENT: SAG Awards Blow the Oscar Race Wide Open as Timothée Chalamet, ‘Conclave’ Surge in Wildest Awards Season in Years

Davis is well known throughout the industry for his expansive predictions about award season contenders. He contributes a wide range of news and analaysis to Variety‘s print and digital platforms. He pens Variety‘s “Awards Circuit” column during film awards season, and he is a host of Variety‘s “Awards Circuit” podcast. He’s also highly visible at festivals and industry events as a speaker and panel moderator.

“I am incredibly grateful to Cynthia, Ramin, [Variety executive editor] Brent Lang,