Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue at the Oscars left Robert Downey Jr. unimpressed after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s past drug addiction. Kimmel, who hosted the Oscars for the fourth time, aimed jokes at various actors and nominees, including Ryan Gosling, Cillian Murphy, and Christopher Nolan.
In the midst of Kimmel’s opening monologue during the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, he joked about Downey’s history of substance abuse, saying: “This is the highest point of Robert Downey Jr’s career… well, one of the highest points.”
Downey responded to the gag by tapping his nose. Kimmel asked, “Was that too on the nose or a drug motion you made?” Then the actor mouthed the words “keep going,” gesturing for Kimmel to move on from the gag.
Afterwards, fans took to social media criticizing Kimmel for making a joke about Downey’s sober past. In his acceptance speech, Downey thanked his wife, Susan Downey, and called his childhood terrible as he accepted the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in “Oppenheimer”.
The film ended up winning seven awards at the ceremony, including Best Picture, while Cillian Murphy won Best Actor for his portrayal of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and dedicated his award to “peacemakers everywhere”.
During his opening monologue, Kimmel also called out the Academy for snubbing Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, but the movie industry opted to focus on the wins, despite the controversies surrounding the ceremony
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