Former President Donald Trump and comedian Jimmy Kimmel both made real-time verbal jabs at each other during the Academy Awards show on Sunday.
Trump, who has been one of Kimmel’s favorite targets on his eponymous late night show, blasted the comedian in a lengthy Truth Social post during the ABC live broadcast.
“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars,” he posited to his 6.68 million followers.
“His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be,” he added.
Jimmy Kimmel calls out Donald Trump at the 2024 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/bAGWxUFg9P
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
Trump suggested ABC “get rid of Kimmel” and proposed a replacement in “Good Morning America” coanchor George Stephanopoulos, who he referred to as “another washed up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent.’”
“[Stephanopoulos] would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous,” he championed his pick.
The Academy Awards didn’t escape Trump’s ire. He mentioned that this year’s broadcast was “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,” he questioned.
“Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Oscar’s viewership has been in a free fall since the turn of the millennium when live watchers peaked out at over 46 million.
Ratings dropped dramatically from 2014 to 2022, when they reached an all time low of 10.4 million viewers. Interest in the show marginally rebounded in 2022 and 2023, with viewership of 16.62 million and 18.7 million respectively.
Kimmel responded to Trump’s verbal lashing in real-time, by actually took time out from the show to read the post out loud to the audience ahead of Al Pacino’s presentation of the Best Picture award to “Oppenheimer.”
“Okay, now, see if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social. Anyone? No,” he responded.
“Well, thank you, President Trump,” Kimmel sarcastically remarked. “Thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still – isn’t it past your jail time?”
During the show, Kimmel also took a shot at Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) who gave the GOP’s rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday.
Kimmel compared her to actress Emma Stone, who won the Best Actress award for her performance in Frankenstein-esque “Poor Things.”
“Emma played a woman with the brain of a child, like the woman who gave the State of the Union rebuttal,” he quipped.
Britt was wildly panned for the nearly 17-minute speech, which was delivered in a “breathless” manner with a lackluster tone.
Rolling Stone compared the address to more of a “rejected audition tape for a supporting role on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ than the hard-hitting political sparring favored by Biden’s Republican critics.”
While Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk smacked Britt with criticism from the conservative side.
“I’m sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need,” he tweeted in response.
I'm sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need. Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like she's hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats "dont get it."
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 8, 2024
“Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like she’s hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats ‘dont get it.’”
Meanwhile, Marvel star Scarlett Johansson made a surprise appearance on SNL to parody Britt in the show’s cold open.
OMG, Scarlett Johansson killed it as creepy Sen. Katie Britt in the SNL cold open! 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/excCb7qRIY
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) March 10, 2024
“Tonight, I’ll be auditioning for the part of Scary Mom,” Johansson began Britt in an astonishing replica of her kitchen.
“And I’ll be performing an original monologue called ‘This Country Is Hell.’ You see, I’m not just a senator. I’m a wife, a mother… and the craziest bitch in the Target parking lot.”
Johansson went on to say that she’s “worried about the future of our children,” which is why she invited the audience to “this strange, empty kitchen.”
“Because Republicans want me to appeal to women voters and women love kitchens,” she joked.
Johansson’s Britt criticized Biden’s SOTU address as a “performance by a permanent politician,” then noted that she was “not performing,” insisting, “I’m not!”
“To the American people who are struggling right now, know this: We hear you. We see you. We smell you,” she concluded.
“We’re inside your kitchen right now looking through your fridge. And what’s that on the top shelf? Migrants.”