Jimmy Kimmel kicked off the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 10, poking fun at nominee Robert Downey Jr.’s previous drug history.
“Congratulations to Cillian [Murphy]’s costar Robert Downey Jr.,” Kimmel, 56, quipped in his monologue when discussing Oppenheimer and its many nominations. “This is the highest point of Robert Downey Jr.’s long and illustrious career. Well, one of the highest points.”
Downey, 58, immediately pointed at his nose while costar Emily Blunt, who was seated behind him, appeared to console him by rubbing his back.
“Was it too on the nose or was that a drug motion you made?” Kimmel added during the awards ceremony, which was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “Well, look at this guy, he’s so handsome and talented, he’s won every award there is to win … and is that an acceptance speech or do you just have a very rectangular penis?”
Kimmell added, “What a story, not even 20 years ago things weren’t going that great. He played the villain in a movie where Tim Allen turns into a dog, right? And if you ever decide to remake that film, I have just the guy to play Tim Allen. Messi [the dog from Anatomy of a Fall].
While Downey appeared to be a good sport throughout Kimmel’s monologue, his history with addiction began in 1996. He was arrested several times before going through treatment programs. He has been sober since 2003, crediting wife Susan Downey for his success.
Sunday night is Kimmel’s fourth time hosting the Oscars broadcast. He previously emceed the awards ceremony in 2017, 2018 and 2023.
“It’s an experience that I try to remember is special,” Kimmel told ABC earlier this month. “I just want to make sure for the people who are watching and the people who are there that we bring the proper amount of respect and also the proper amount of disrespect to the proceedings.”
While Kimmel is no stranger to crafting awards show monologues, comedians have recently been under fire for their jokes. Jo Koy, for his part, hosted the Golden Globes in January, where he infamously quipped that the broadcast would have fewer cutaway shots to Taylor Swift than the NFL did at games. Nominee Swift, 34, appeared visibly annoyed at the jab. (Swift has been dating football player Travis Kelce since summer 2023, often attending his Kansas City Chiefs games throughout the 2023-2024 season.)
When it became clear that Koy’s jokes bombed, he blamed his writers during the broadcast. Kimmel, for his part, plans to handle it differently if he finds himself in a similar situation
“I’ll do it privately when I go to their homes and fire them in front of their families,” the Jimmy Kimmel! Live host joked to Deadline in March, noting he “felt bad” for Koy, 52, during the Globes. “I don’t think he was put in a great position. I think he would be the first person to tell you that publicly blaming his writers was not the right move, but you know, it’s overwhelming.”
Kimmel added, “I just think he’s a funny guy, and I think it’s a shame that for a lot of people who saw him for the first time, that was the impression that they got, and I hope that they look at his other work.”
Kimmel, for his part, planned to test out his jokes in advance on “people [he knows] who get it,” including past Oscars attendees “who understand the dynamic.” While speaking with Deadline, he hinted that his jokes will be about all the nominated flicks.
“I got a lot of jokes about all the movies, and I’m not being coy,” Kimmel told the outlet. “I mean, that’s basically what it is. We’re pretty focused on writing jokes, and jokes that haven’t been beaten to death already, and having some fun with the people who are in the audience, which is ever-changing, and hopefully it will go over.”
