Jimmy Kimmel made several jokes about Donald Trump and Melania Trump while presenting at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday.
Kimmel took the stage during the ceremony, which was hosted by Conan O’Brien, to introduce the winners for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short. Opening his segment, the comedian joked about his previous role hosting the Oscars.
“Wait, am I not hosting the show?” he said.
He then spoke about the importance of documentaries and made a sarcastic jab at Melania Trump regarding her recent documentary. Without naming her directly at first, he joked that some documentaries expose injustice and inspire action, while others simply show someone “walking around the White House trying on shoes”.
The remark referenced the film Melania, directed by Brett Ratner and released by Amazon MGM Studios earlier this year. The documentary follows the former First Lady during the weeks leading up to her husband’s second presidential inauguration in 2025.
Kimmel later joked again while introducing the nominees for Best Documentary Feature, saying the US President might be upset that his wife’s film had not been nominated.
Trump has previously praised the documentary, describing Melania as a “movie star” during remarks at a political event earlier this year.
Kimmel also took a shot at CBS at one point over controlled freedom of speech.
“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. As you know, there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech. I’m not at liberty to say which,” quipped the comedian. “Let’s just leave it at North Korea and CBS.”
It is pertinent to mention that the criticism comes as his show was temporarily suspended, and Stephen Colbert’s show was cancelled by the network.
