Jimmy Kimmel takes aim at Melania Trump at the Oscars with brutal dig
Jimmy Kimmel took the opportunity during his Oscars presenting gig to take aim at Donald and Melania Trump over the First Lady's documentary titled Melania, which was released back in January.
Kimmel was at the 98th Academy Awards, not as a host this time, which went to fellow TV host Conan O'Brien, but as a presenter for the Best Documentary Feature Film category.
The nominees for Best Documentary included Ryan White's Come See Me in The Night, Geeta Gandbhir's The Perfect Neighbor, and David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin's Mr Nobody Against Putin, with the latter swiping the award.
The documentary focused on school teacher Talankin's record of his pupils being indoctrinated to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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In his opening bit, Kimmel spoke about the 'real courage' it takes to tell a story that 'could get you killed', adding that 'there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech', though he said he was 'not at liberty to say which'.
"Fortunately, for all of us, there is an international community of filmmakers dedicated to telling the truth, oftentimes at great risk, to make films that teach us, that call out injustice, that inspire us to take action. And there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes,” he continued.
Without specifically naming President Trump, the 58-year-old then joked: "Oh man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this."
The Amazon documentary follows the First Lady in 2025 as she prepares to return to the White House after her husband Donald's 2024 presidential election campaign victory.
"With exclusive footage capturing critical meetings, private conversations, and never-before-seen environments, Melania showcases Mrs Trump’s return to one of the world’s most powerful roles," a synopsis for the film reads.
However, critics weren't so graceful with their reviews, and the documentary currently stands at 11 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Melania was reportedly paid a whopping $40 million by Amazon for the exclusive behind-the-scenes access, but she previously insisted the project wasn't all about the money.
"I’m very proud of the film so people may like it, may don’t like it, and that’s their choice," she told CNN. "We achieved what we want to achieve. For myself, it’s already successful. I’m very proud of what we did."
According to The Guardian, Melania took home $7 million from its opening weekend, something which Kimmel commented on during Jimmy Kimmel Live!
"A lot of people, myself included, have been wondering how this movie managed to sell $7 million worth of tickets last weekend when almost every theater seemed to be empty leading up to the release." he previously said.
This year's Oscars marked a departure from Kimmel's hosting duties, having previously presented in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024.
Trump himself had even commented on Kimmel's last stint as Oscars host in 2024, calling him 'the worst host'.
Writing on Truth Social at the time, he said: "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."
To which Kimmel joked: "Thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching. Isn't it past your jail time?"
LADbible Group has reached out to the White House for comment.
Most controversial Oscar moments
Hattie McDaniel wins but is segregated from her cast (1940)
Now, we're going back for this one, but with #OscarsSoWhite only being 11 years ago, it's still as topical as ever.
McDaniel was the first Black woman to ever win an Oscar, for her supporting role in the equally controversial film Gone with the Wind. Although she made history that night, paving the way for the likes of Halle Berry and Cynthia Erivo, McDaniel was seated at the back of the room away from her co-stars.
This didn't stop McDaniel from giving an empowering speech, however, in which she said, 'my heart is too full to tell you just how I feel'.
A ban on political speeches (1993)
I don't know about you, but this one is new to me. In 1993, the Oscars seemed to tire of political speeches and decided to ban whoever dared utter one. Well, three people who said, 'f*** that' were Tim Robbins, Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon.
And just as promised, the three were banned. Sarandon and Robbins only for a few years, but everyone's favourite 'officer' (iykyk) sat them out for years, except for making an appearance in 2013, and then never again.
Who would be the first to be banned if that rule still applied today?
Marlon Brando wins and snubs the whole ceremony (1973)
The Godfather star won his second Oscar for Best Actor in 1973, but instead of going and celebrating with his peers, he sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his place. Littlefeather revealed Brando would not be accepting the award due to Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans and the protests at Wounded Knee in South Dakota.
Littlefeather was met with extreme negativity and even booed during her speech.
Sacha Baron Cohen brought Kim Jong Il's 'ashes' to the red carpet (2012)
We all know Sacha Baron Cohen's humor is dark, but this stunt at the Oscars really disturbed some feathers - especially Ryan Seacrest's who ended up wearing the ashes.
To promote his film The Dictator, Cohen showed up on the carpet dressed as his fictional character, Admiral Aladeen. In tow, instead of bringing his wife at the time, Isla Fischer, or, you know, inviting a friend, Cohen's plus one was the 'ashes' of North Korea's previous dictator, Kim Jong Il, which he then spilt on host Ryan Seacrest.
Talk about committing to a bit... no matter how confusing or how uncomfortable it made people.
#OscarsSoWhite (2015 / 2016)
In 2015, Black actors, directors, producers and the like were completely cut out of the 2015 Oscar nominations. This prompted the social movement #OscarsSoWhite to take over social media and the entertainment industry, with notable Black Hollywood members boycotting the 2016 Oscars ceremony.
However, even after the impact it made, it clearly didn't phase the people behind the nominations as it happened again the year after. Chris Rock, who hosted the Oscars that year, addressed it in a 10-minute-long speech and pointed out that 'if they nominated [the] host, I wouldn’t even get this job'.
The award goes to... La La Land or... Moonlight (2017)
The 2017 Oscars were a weird one, to say the least. From Nicole Kidman's weird a** clap to Auli’i Cravalho getting hit in the head by a flag during her Moana performance and Jimmy Kimmel's bus full of tourists, the bad vibes just kept on coming.
When announcing the most prestigious award of the night, Best Film, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the gong had gone to La La Land, but they couldn't have been more wrong.
"There’s a mistake," producer Jordan Horowitz said. "Moonlight, you guys won Best Picture. This is not a joke." Could have fooled me, Horowitz.
It's safe to say it was a mortifying experience for all involved, with Moonlight director Barry Jenkins saying afterwards: “I noticed the commotion but I was speechless when the result was altered. I've never seen that happen before.”
The slap of the century (2022)
Easily the most unexpected thing to ever happen at the Oscars, Hollywood's favourite cousin, Will Smith, strode on stage and kapow-ed presenter Chris Rock in the face, after he made an ill-advised joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
The joke in question: “Jada, can't wait for G.I. Jane 2,” as a reference to the Gotham star's shaved head. Having been open about her struggles with alopecia, people saw this as a really low blow from Rock.
As Smith slapped the Madagascar star, he screamed: “Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth.”
The awkwardness did not end there, as Smith later won the Best Actor award and had to go on stage again to accept it.
Topics: Jimmy Kimmel, Oscars, Melania Trump, Donald Trump, US News
Callum Jones