Oscars: Jimmy Kimmel Was Told Not to Read Trump’s Social Media Post On Air
The most shocking part of Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony: It ran ahead of schedule.
Jimmy Kimmel emceed the event for his fourth time, warming up the audience at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood with a zippy monologue that kept the night cruising despite its brief delay. Even though the host made multiple jokes that the show would almost definitely run over time, it didn’t, which left him with a few free minutes to read a social media post from none other than former President Donald Trump.
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In an interview with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that aired Monday, Kimmel revealed that he was specifically asked not to read the message on the air. But since he had extra time to fill, he went ahead and did it anyway.
“They’re like, ‘You’ve got a little bit of time,’ I was like, ‘I’m reading the Trump tweet,’ they’re like, ‘No, no don’t read that,’ [I said], ‘Yes, I am!'” he told the Live With Kelly & Mark hosts.
Update: Our sister site Variety‘s breakdown of this year’s Oscars telecast reveals that it was executive producer Molly McNearney — aka Kimmel’s wife — who advised him not give TFG any airtime. “But he had a glimmer in his eye,” McNearney shared, “and he said, ‘I got this.’ He really did. This is where he shines.”
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Trump began his post by asking if there has ever been a “worse host” than Kimmel, then said the monologue was “that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not and never can be.” He also criticized the awards show for being “disjointed, boring and very unfair.”
Kimmel’s live, on-stage response: “I’m surprised you’re still [up]. Isn’t it past your jail time?” The audience exploded in applause. (Watch a clip of the Live With Kelly & Mark interview embedded above.)
Other highlights from Sunday night’s show include Emma Stone’s surprise Best Actress win, Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance and Robert Downey Jr.’s snubbing of Ke Huy Quan.
Thoughts on Kimmel’s Trump slam? Drop them below.
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