Cedric the Entertainer to host the Emmy Awards telecast for CBS

July 13 (UPI) -- Cedric the Entertainer is set to host the Emmy Awards ceremony on CBS Sept. 19.

The comedian stars in the network's sitcom, The Neighborhood.

This will be the first time he serves as emcee for the Emmys, which honors excellence in television.

Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart will executive produce the prize presentation, and Hamish Hamilton will direct it.

The gala will be in-person at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, and will include a limited audience of nominees and their guests.

Many awards shows have been delayed, canceled or revamped because of social-distancing practices related to the coronavirus pandemic.

"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," Cedric the Entertainer said Monday.

"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. 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."

Actress Jasmine Cephas Jones and her father, actor Ron Cephas Jones, are scheduled to announce this year's Emmy nominations Tuesday.