Jimmy Kimmel made his return to the Oscars stage in Los Angeles, immediately making headlines with a sharp dig at Melania Trump’s Amazon documentary, as reported by The Hill. The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” personality, who has hosted the Academy Awards four times, presented awards in a couple of documentary film categories.
Kimmel took a moment to praise the courage of filmmakers who tell stories that could put their lives at risk, saying, “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 contrasted this dedication with a more lighthearted jab, adding, “And there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes.”
This quip seemed to be a direct reference to “Melania,” the Amazon documentary released earlier this year, which prominently features the first lady’s footwear in several shots. The jokes didn’t stop there. After presenting the Oscar for Documentary Short Film to “All the Empty Rooms,” which focuses on the bedrooms of school shooting victims, Kimmel moved on to the Documentary Feature Film category. He seemed to allude to President Trump, saying, “Oh man.” Then, he delivered another zinger: “Is he gonna be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this?”
Kimmel also used his stage time to make a free speech-related dig that surprised many
Kimmel noted that “there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech,” adding, “I’m not at liberty to say which.” He then quipped, “Let’s just leave it at North Korea and CBS,” which definitely got some applause. Last year, Skydance, owned by David Ellison—the son of close President Trump ally and billionaire Oracle CEO Larry Ellison—purchased Paramount, CBS’s parent company. Since that merger, some critics have accused Paramount of retooling CBS to advance the Ellisons’ business interests.
The late-night host emphasized the global 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 this isn’t the first time Kimmel and President Trump have gone head-to-head.
The two have been engaged in a years-long public feud, with Kimmel frequently making fun of the president, who, in turn, often targets him on social media. For example, last year, President Trump lauded ABC for temporarily taking Kimmel off the air following comments the host made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
More recently, during the 2024 Academy Awards, Kimmel read President Trump’s social media criticism of him live from the stage. He read President Trump’s post, “Has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars?” before responding directly, “Isn’t it past your jail time?”
It just goes to show you that Kimmel never shies away from a direct confrontation. His latest Oscars appearance definitely kept that tradition alive.
Published: Mar 16, 2026 03:30 pm