The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards have announced Cedric the Entertainer will host and executive produce its return to a live format for the 2021 show. 

The comedian and host of the hit CBS sitcom "The Neighborhood" is marking his first time being brought on to host the show, which is set to take place on Sept. 19 on the same network. 

Emmy Award-nominated producers Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart will executive produce and Hamish Hamilton will direct the telecast for production companies Done+Dusted and Hudlin Entertainment.

"Since I was a little boy huddled up next to my grandmother, television has always been my reliable friend, so it is an enormous honor for me to host this year's Emmy Awards," the comedian, 57, said in a press release announcing the news.

"Throughout the roller-coaster of a year that we have all lived through, television has helped us stay connected as a society like never before," he shared. "It not only entertained us, but as it always has, it helped to open our eyes, educate us, and hopefully brought about a better understanding of who we are as a people. I can't wait to take the stage to celebrate all of the great shows and performances that made us laugh, cry, dance and sing over the past year."

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Cedric the Entertainer will host the 2021 Emmy Awards.

Cedric the Entertainer will host the 2021 Emmy Awards. (Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)

Frank Scherma, Chairman and CEO of the Academy added: "Cedric the Entertainer has been a wonderful friend to the Television Academy and our Foundation, and we are thrilled that he will bring his unique comedic perspective to the Emmy ceremony and telecast that marks our return to celebrating nominees and presenters live and in-person."

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The hosting gig on the Emmys further continues Cedric the Entertainer’s relationship with the network, which recently renewed his "The Neighborhood" for a fourth season. He also executive produces "The Greatest #At Home Videos" through his A Bird And A Bear Entertainment company.

Nominations for the 73rd Emmy Awards will be announced Tuesday morning. 

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The Hollywood Reporter notes that the show will indeed be live, but will still take some precautions regarding the coronavirus pandemic as it returns to the Microsoft Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. For example, viewers can expect a limited in-person audience of nominees and their guests following the Jimmy Kimmel-led virtual show last year.