Donald Trump criticized Jimmy Kimmel’s performance as host of the Oscars on his social media site, Truth Social. However, Kimmel used the opportunity to hit back at the former President while hosting the ceremony for the fourth time. He read out the review he received from Trump, describing him as “less than average” and “trying too hard to be something which he is not.” Kimmel concluded the reading with the final sentence, “Make America great again,” which sparked laughter and applause from the audience.
Kimmel then gave a closing jibe to Trump, quipping: “Thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still watching. Isn’t it past your jail time?”, referring to Trump’s highly publicised arrest and being charged in four criminal cases. The crowd erupted in response to Kimmel’s joke, before the winner for Best Picture, Oppenheimer, was announced by Al Pacino.
During his opening monologue, Kimmel addressed the fact that Barbie received fewer nominations than expected, including recognition for director Greta Gerwig. The comedian noted that the audience had been clapping but stated, “Don’t act like you had nothing to do with this” as they were the ones who had voted for the nominations.
Kimmel and Trump have had a longstanding public feud. Trump has previously criticized Kimmel’s political jokes and questioned his ratings on his social media. Kimmel has not held back on his criticism of Trump either. In a tweet last year, Kimmel called Trump “an ignorant clown president” but also noted that his ratings during the pandemic were also “really bad.”
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