Academy Awards host Jimmy Kimmel waited to the very end of the Oscars broadcast on Sunday to take aim at former President Donald Trump and the MAGA base.
“Isn’t it past your jail time?” Kimmel said, sending the celebrity audience into paroxysms of maniacal laughter and enthusiastic applause.
Just before the final award of the evening, Jimmy Kimmel read aloud a Truth Social post that Trump published during the broadcast in which the former president mocked Kimmel’s hosting abilities while also noteing the Oscars’ poor ratings in recent years.
“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars,” Trump wrote, suggesting ABC replace Kimmel with Good Morning, America co-anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Trump called Sunday’s Oscars “a really bad politically correct show.” He also called on the Academy to give Oscars based on merit. “Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths.”
Jimmy Kimmel just read this post by Trump and then asked “isn’t it past your jail time?” pic.twitter.com/y7DUt2I6nE
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 11, 2024
Kimmel read most of Trump’s post aloud. When he got to “Make America Great Again,” the live celebrity audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles burst out laughing, with the camera cutting to Jodie Foster, who clearly thought it was hilarious.
“Thank you President Trump. Thank you for watching — isn’t it past your jail time?” Kimmel added, causing the audience to erupt in loud cheers and applause.
Among the stars seen applauding Kimmel on camera were Annette Bening and Barbie star Margot Robbie.
Watch below:
Jimmy Kimmel calls out Donald Trump at the 2024 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/bAGWxUFg9P
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
Earlier in the broadcast, Kimmel mocked Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) by comparing her to the Frankenstein-like heroine of Poor Things played by Emma Stone.
Kimmel hosted last year’s Oscars, which only managed to draw less than 19 million viewers — the third-lowest in Oscars history despite the presence of blockbuster best-picture nominees Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water.
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