Jimmy Kimmel called out Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' snub and awkwardly came on to Ryan Gosling in his 2024 Oscars monologue
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars for the fourth time on Sunday.
In his opening monologue, the late-night host called out "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig's snub.
Kimmel also said that "Barbie" stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling won the "genetic lottery.'"
Jimmy Kimmel took the stage at the 96th Academy Awards to host the show for the fourth time, and called out "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig's snub in his opening monologue.
The 2024 Oscars took place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday. Kimmel, who previously hosted the prestigious event in 2017, 2018, and 2023, opened the show by inserting himself into a scene from "Barbie" in which Margot Robbie's titular doll tearfully tells an older woman next to her that she's beautiful. Then, Kimmel walked out on the stage to Dua Lipa's "Dance the Night," which is featured on the "Barbie" soundtrack.
"Thank you for that partial standing ovation," he joked, promising that the show would still end "very, very late," despite beginning an hour sooner this year.
Kimmel then called "Barbie," which scored eight Oscar nominations, the "biggest movie of the year," bemoaning the fact that Gerwig was not nominated for best director.
"I know you're clapping, but you're the ones who didn't vote for her, by the way. Don't act like you had nothing to do with this," he said, leading to an awkward moment among attendees.
After the uncomfortable moment, he pointed out Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who are nominated for best actress and best actor.
"Even if neither one of you wins an Oscar tonight, you both already won something much more important — the genetic lottery," he said to the costars.
Kimmel then went a step further with a reference to the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain."
"Ryan, you are so hot. Let's go camping together and not tell our wives," he said, prompting Gosling, who's in a relationship with Eva Mendes, to laugh sheepishly.
Kimmel's monologue also included jokes directed at the cast of Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," the most-nominated film of the year.
"This is the highest point of RDJ's long and illustrious career — well, one of the high points," Kimmel said of Robert Downey Jr., alluding to the Marvel star's struggles with drug addiction.
Downey Jr. took the joke in stride, tapping his nose. But Kimmel didn't stop there.
"Look at this guy," Kimmel said. "He's so handsome, so talented. He's won every award there is to win. Is that an acceptance speech in your pocket or do you just have a very rectangular penis?"
Elsewhere in Kimmel's monologue, he gave a shout-out to Messi, the dog who plays Snoop in "Anatomy of a Fall" who scored a seat at the Oscars. He also called out the long runtime of recent movies like "Killers of the Flower Moon," and joked about "Maestro" star Bradley Cooper frequently bringing his mom, Gloria Campano, as his date to awards shows.
Kimmel also sneaked in one mild political jab, referencing Sen. Katie Britt's response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union.
The late-night star ended his monologue on a sincere note, reflecting on the actors' and writers' strikes and emphasizing that Los Angeles is a union town, despite being filled with nepo babies.
Prior to the awards show, Kimmel explained that a big factor in agreeing to host the Oscars again was the popularity and pop culture impact of the films nominated this season, like "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie."
"It's a big part of why I decided to host the show this year, because I do know that there are movies that people have actually seen, which makes it a lot easier to make jokes about," Kimmel said during a recent interview with "Good Morning America."
Kimmel told The Hollywood Reporter that his goal isn't to make mean-spirited jokes and upset people, but he knows he can't please the entire audience with his brand of humor.
"I'm not interested in hurting anyone's feelings, but sometimes some people are more sensitive than others and you just have to accept that," he said. "You can't build your monologue around that. And I'm not looking to say anything mean, but not everybody's going to love all the jokes."
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