Jimmy Kimmel celebrated the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements and addressed the Harvey Weinstein scandal in an Oscars opening monologue that was unafraid to confront politics – or the envelope fiasco of last year’s ceremony.
In a speech that was preceded by a parody of a black and white Oscars newsreel, in honour of the 90th anniversary of the Academy Awards, Kimmel began by addressing the incorrect announcement of the best picture award at the 2017 Oscars. “This year, when you hear your name called, don’t get up right away. Give us a minute,” he said.
Kimmel, who was also host at that ceremony, explained that, in advance of the awards, he was asked to contribute to a comic skit with the PriceWaterhouseCooper accountants who are believe to be responsible for handing the wrong best picture envelope to host Warren Beatty. Kimmel said he had declined: “I told the Academy I didn’t want to do comedy with the accountants, so the accountants did the comedy on their own.”
The late night host then pivoted to the sexual abuse scandal that engulfed the entertainment industry last year. He noted that the Oscar statuette is “the most beloved and respected man in Hollywood” due to having “no penis at all. He’s a literal statue of limitations.”
Adopting a more serious tone, the host said that “what happened with Harvey [Weinstein] is long overdue”, and he praised the “brave and outspoken supporters” of organisations such as #MeToo and Time’s Up. He also saluted female nominees including Lady Bird director Greta Gerwig and Mudbound’s Rachel Morrison, the latter of whom is the first female nominee for cinematography in Oscars history. Kimmel added that advocates from various causes would be invited to speak during the ceremony.
While Kimmel largely avoided the Trump-heavy tone of his monologue of last year, he did aim a few barbs at the current administration. In a segment on Jordan Peele’s race-relations horror movie Get Out, Kimmel said that Trump had declared the film “the best three quarters of a movie released last year” – alluding to the portion of the film in which Daniel Kaluuya’s African-American character is tormented by white supremacists.
Kimmel also took aim at vice-president Mike Pence, who has been criticised for his gay rights record. “We don’t make films like Call Me By Your Name to make money, we make them to upset Mike Pence,” he said of the gay romantic drama.
While Kimmel encouraged award winners to speak on whatever subject they wanted to – including, he said, the recent Parkland high school shooting – he did ask that they kept their speeches brief. He explained that the winner who made the shortest speech of the night would win a brand-new jet ski, which was then modelled by Helen Mirren. The British actor was “not included”, Kimmel noted.
