Tom Cruise Oscars no-show caused monologue changes for Jimmy Kimmel

With the 95th annual Academy Awards officially in the rear-view mirror, Variety has published a deep-dive look at how Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney, Kimmel’s producer and spouse, had to duck, weave, and stay nimble to put the opening monologue together. Much of it had to do with which celebs would already be seated (Rihanna taking her time on the champagne-colored red carpet caused some truly last-minute changes), as did Tom Cruise’s decision a few days prior to skip the event.

While Cruise was dissed by the academy by not being one of the Best Actor candidates, he was up for a long-shot award as a producer for Best Picture nominee “Top Gun: Maverick.” The 60-year-old A-lister did make an appearance a month ago for the “Oscars class picture.” 

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Apparently, Kimmel had a slew of “Top Gun”-related gags ready (he still parachuted onto the stage) but most had to get cut. McNearney told Variety that Cruise’s reason to skip was not — as some have murmured — because Kimmel and company had Judd Apatow helping out with some of the gags. (“No, Judd was not writing or doing anything for the monologue,” she said.) Apatow, if you recall, went all-in on some Scientology barbs (and a Cruise-related height joke) at the recent DGA Awards. Earlier in awards season, Jerrod Carmichael went even further at the Golden Globes, making a crack about Shelly Miscavige. Maybe Cruise has just had enough?

Kimmel’s monologue was mild in comparison to the other two. Remarking on how good Cruise looked playing beach football in “Top Gun: Maverick” with his shirt off, he swooned “L. Ron Hubba Hubba.” McNearney admitted that line would likely have not been deployed had Cruise been at the Dolby Theater. “We had about a three-minute chunk of the monologue dedicated to Tom Cruise, honoring him and his role in reviving the movie industry. We were so disappointed when we learned a few days before the Oscars that he wouldn’t be there. Jimmy loves him and really wanted to celebrate him,” she said. 

So why did he skip? Maybe he just didn’t want to be in the same room as Cocaine Bear?

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