During the Oscars finale, Jimmy Kimmel, hosting the event, wrapped up the Academy Awards by sharing excerpts from a critique of the ceremony posted by former President Donald Trump on Truth Social. Before announcing the Best Picture award, Kimmel took a moment to read portions of Trump’s review from his phone, without directly referring to Trump by name. Later, he playfully invited the audience to guess the identity of the former president behind the comments.
“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars,” Kimmel read. “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. He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous,” the GOP front runner continued in his Truth Social post.
Trump wants the Oscars to be GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/QQNe5w5Ca1
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) March 11, 2024
Kimmel appeared to skip over some parts of Trump’s post, the Post Millennial noted, which stated, “why don’t they just give the Oscars to those who deserve them? Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths.”
“Thank you for watching — isn’t it past your jail time?” Kimmel retorted.
This response from the host, as David Ng of Breitbart described, sent the celebrity audience into “paroxysms of maniacal laughter and enthusiastic applause.”
A triggered Jimmy Kimmel reads President Trump’s Truth post live at the Oscars. Then jokes about him going to jail. The Hollywood audience claps like seals. pic.twitter.com/mvOeVSjnTL
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) March 11, 2024
In an earlier segment of the broadcast, Kimmel poked fun at Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), drawing a humorous parallel between her and the Frankenstein-esque character portrayed by Emma Stone in “Poor Things.” Despite showcasing blockbuster nominees such as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water,” last year’s Oscars, hosted by Kimmel, saw a decrease in viewership, drawing in less than 19 million viewers—the third-lowest in Oscars history.
