Jimmy Kimmel may not have been hosting the 2026 Oscars — he even joked about just that, quipping that Conan O’Brien “went outside to get some air and inadvertently exposed his face to the sun and was incinerated” — but he made sure to get a point across while presenting Documentary Short. (All the Empty Rooms won.)
“We hear a lot about —” Kimmel began but had to start and stop more than once due to the loud applause in the room at the Academy Awards. “We hear a great deal. … They’re gonna cut down on your tickets for next year. We hear a lot about courage at shows like this, but telling a story that could get you killed for telling it is real courage.”
He continued, getting digs in at MelaniaTrump (and the documentary Melania) and CBS with, “As you know, there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech. I’m not at liberty to say which. Let’s just leave it at North Korea and CBS. Fortunately, for all of us, there’s an international community of filmmakers dedicated to telling the truth, oftentimes at great risk, to make films that teach us, that call out injustice, and inspire us to take action. And there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes.”
But Kimmel wasn’t done, as he presented two awards, the second being Documentary Feature Film. And after the nominees were named, the late-night host remarked, “Oh man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this.” (Mr Nobody Against Putin won).
Kimmel has been vocally critical of Donald Trump, who, in turn, has called for Jimmy Kimmel Live! to be canceled more than once. (The ABC late-night show was suspended for six days after Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk.)
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