Jimmy Kimmel's Opening Oscars Monologue Draws Mixed Reactions

Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue certainly got the 2024 Oscars off to an interesting start.

The late-night comedian and talk show host began the 96th Academy Awards with an opening monologue filled with plenty of celebrity jabs on Sunday, March 10, as he made the star-studded room let out a few laughs while also eliciting some cringes from viewers at home.

Kimmel, 56, started off his opening by getting right into it, bringing up the fact that Geta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were notably snubbed from the Best Director and Best Actress nominees, despite Barbie's massive success.

While directly addressing Robbie and her co-star Ryan Gosling, Kimmel joked, "I want you to know that if neither of win an Oscar tonight, both of you have won something much more important—the genetic lottery," Kimmel said, making the entire room laugh.

"Ryan you are so hot, I could just eat you up," he playfully added.

But not all of his jokes went over as smoothly, especially when it came time to chat with Robert Downey Jr., after Kimmel joked about the Iron Man's "highest" point of his career, before making a comment about the actor doing "drugs."

But as many fans know, Downey Jr. has been sober for years after a difficult battle with substance addiction, which makes Kimmel's joke seem a little below the belt for some viewers.

"That was so cringe," one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in response to Kimmel's joke. Another called Kimmel's punchline "not cool," considering the serious subject matter. (Kimmel also asked Downey Jr. about the shape of his man parts during his monologue, so there's that.)

More of Kimmel's uncomfortable jokes included a strange comment toward Bradley Cooper about dating his own mother, and a jab at Christopher Nolan that involved accusing the director of having a porn addiction.

"Somebody get Jimmy Kimmel off that stage," one user on X tweeted.

"Why are we forced to suffer through Jimmy Kimmel hosting the #Oscars every year? He is not funny," someone else lamented.

This year's ceremony marks the fourth time the Jimmy Kimmel Live! star has been given hosting duties for the Academy Awards, after previously leading the 2017, 2018 and 2023 telecasts.

"I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times," Kimmel joked after he was announced as this year's host.

And we know it's not an easy feat to host an award show well enough to be asked back, as several hosts and comedians have fallen flat in years past.

Most recently, Jo Koy had a rough start to his first time hosting the Golden Globes in January 2024, when he made a slew of awkward jokes that many viewers deemed unfunny and even borderline offensive. (In case you missed it, the comedian took aim at the Barbie movie as well as attendee Taylor Swift—both of which proved to be rookie mistakes.)

On the bright side, at least Kimmel didn't crack any Tayvis jokes!

Next: Billie Eilish's Rare Full-Glam Oscars Look Leaves Fans Speechless