Jimmy Kimmel took a moment during the Oscars telecast, right before Al Pacino presented best picture, to read aloud Donald Trump‘s latest social media post that bashed Kimmel as this year’s Oscars host.
“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars. His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be. Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent,’ George Slopanopoulos,” Trump wrote, likely meaning George Stephanopoulos. “He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous.”
“Also a really bad politically correct show tonight, and for years – Disjointed, boring, and very unfair,” Trump continued. “Why don’t they just give the Oscars to those that deserve them. Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
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Kimmel fired back at Trump onstage by saying, “Blah, blah, blah … Okay, now, see if you can guess which former president just posted that on TruthSocial. Anyone? No? Well, thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still — isn’t it past your jail time?”
Outside of Kimmel’s dig before the final award was announced, the 2024 Oscars were a largely Trump-free evening. However, politics still played a prominent part. Many attendees at the Oscars, including Mark Ruffalo and Billie Eilish, wore red pins in support of a ceasefire in Gaza. Protests related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza drew hundreds of attendees around the Kodak Theater and ended up blocking so much traffic that the ceremony started five minutes late.
When “The Zone of Interest” director Jonathan Glazer accepted the Oscar for best international feature, he spoke out about the violence in the Middle East and drew parallels with the message of his searing Holocaust drama.
“Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst,” Glazer said. “It shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization — how do we resist?”
This year marked the fourth time Kimmel served as Oscars host.
