Jimmy Kimmel rarely misses an opportunity to take a dig at Donald Trump and those closest to him, so it was hardly a surprise Melania Trump found herself in his sights at this year’s Oscars.
The iconic awards gala played out last night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien. The event saw One Battle After Another and Sinners enjoy serious success, with the former winning no less than six Academy Awards and the latter earning four.
Presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature Film was late night talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel, who used his time on stage to throw some shade in the direction of the Trumps.
Given Kimmel’s turbulent history with President Donald Trump, and the fact that Melania Trump released her own documentary, Melania, in January, it was always likely to be the case that the FLOTUS found herself in the firing line with Kimmel in charge of handing out an award for documentaries.
“There are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes,” the talk show host said before he presented the award.
He then added: “Oh man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this.”
The Amazon documentary, which currently has a paltry 1,5/10 rating on IMDb, followed Melania as she prepared to return to the White House in 2025 after her husband’s victory in the 2024 US elections.
“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 of the film reads.
The First Lady, it’s reported, was paid the princely sum of $40 million by Amazon for exclusive behind-the-scenes access into her life.
“I’m very proud of the film so people may like it, may don’t like it, and that’s their choice,” Melania told CNN after the project’s release. “We achieved what we want to achieve. For myself, it’s already successful. I’m very proud of what we did.”
By and large, critics gave scathing reviews of Melania, with the Hollywood Reporter labeling it “expensive propaganda”, The Atlantic calling the film “a disgrace,” and The Guardian describing it as “gilded trash”.
As for Kimmel’s zesty barbs, the talkshow host’s history with the Trumps goes back years, even if it’s usually Donald who is his primary target of choice.
Kimmel was taken off air last year after comments following the assassination of Charlie Kirk – comments that, apparently, evoked Trump’s ire – before later being reinstated on ABC.
Last night, Kimmel appeared to aim a dig at Trump and CBS as well, stating: “Telling a story that could get you killed for telling it is real courage. As you know, there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech. I’m not at liberty to say which. Let’s just leave it at North Korea & CBS.”