Oscars 2024: Jimmy Kimmel hits back at Donald Trump calling him a “washed up” host
Oscars 2024 host Jimmy Kimmel has responded to criticism posted by Donald Trump on social media, asking the 45th President if it was “past his jail time”.
The 96th edition of the Academy Awards marks the fourth occasion Kimmel has hosted the ceremony, having previously took up duties in 2017, 2018 and 2023. During the 2024 awards show, Kimmel notably participated in a skit with a naked John Cena, paying tribute to the streaker stole the headlines at the Oscars in 1974.
However, Trump was less than impressed with Kimmel’s work. Taking to Truth Social, he wrote: “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 relace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent’, George Slopanopulous.”
In his cheaply-veiled dig, Trump referred to George Slopanopulous, a former White House communications director that served for Bill Clinton and now works as a television host for ABC.
His message continued: “He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger and more glamourous. Also a really bad politically correct show tonight and for years – Disjointed, boring, and very unfair. 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.”
Trump signed off his message by writing, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”.
After reading out the diatribe posted by Trump, Kimmel told the crowd at the Dolby Theatre: “Thanks for watching, I’m surprised, isn’t it past your jail time?”
Meanwhile, in his opening monologue, Kimmel made a controversial reference to French actor Gerard Depardieu, who has been accused of sexual assault.
While the camera panned to Messi, the dog who appeared in Anatomy of a Fall, Kimmel said of the canine: “I haven’t seen a French actor eat his vomit like that since Gerard Depardieu.”
Watch Kimmel poke fun at Trump below.
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