Jimmy Kimmel's Oscars monologue gets mixed reactions on Twitter
While many praised Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue at the Oscars on Sunday, there were those who questioned why a woman wasn’t asked to host the ceremony, especially in the age of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.
Billy Eichner and Bethenny Frankel were among the celebrities cheering on Kimmel over Twitter as he pointed to the activist movements sweeping through Hollywood, including Never Again. Then there were those like Macaulay Culkin, who joked, “I bet Jimmy Kimmel’s humor is so dry tonight it could easily be a #VaginaMonologue.”
“No disrespect to Jimmy Kimmel, but wouldn’t it have been a solid plan to have a woman host this year?” one user wrote.
This is the first Academy Awards ceremony since the sexual harassment and assault allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein helped spark #MeToo and Time’s Up. (Weinstein has denied any instance of nonconsensual sex.) Kimmel didn’t waste too much time before addressing the situation, declaring, “We can’t let bad behavior slide anymore.”
Some saluted Kimmel for specifically pointing to these acts of social change and calling out gender pay disparity in the workplace, while there were still those who called him “the worst host ever.”
See reactions from Twitter below.
I love @jimmykimmel. ??????
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 5, 2018
In the wake of Weinstein and with the current #MeToo movement, it feels like the Academy could've made a stronger statement by having a woman host this year's #Oscars #BGNOscarWatchParty pic.twitter.com/UvnICD5lG9
— SiliconValleySteph (@ItsStephAlof) March 5, 2018
I bet Jimmy Kimmel's humor is so dry tonight it could easily be a #VaginaMonologue @ASTROGLIDE #Oscars
— Macaulay Culkin (@IncredibleCulk) March 5, 2018
What if instead of having Jimmy Kimmel be self-deprecating and talk about #MeToo they had just....had a woman host? #Oscars
— Abby Spice, ???? Mama (@clapifyoulikeme) March 5, 2018
So stoked that @jimmykimmel talked about the pay disparity between Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams. Was honored to have been the first to talk about that.#oscars #timesup
— Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) March 5, 2018
Thank you Oscars for letting a man who talks about women’s rights host the Oscars! A woman would probably have made it awkward and gone off the rails...smart!
— Solange (@solange_here) March 5, 2018
Oscars: “I just can’t believe there aren’t more women directors in the era of #metoo
Also Oscars: “we just couldn’t find a woman to host”— ???????????????????? (@resisterhood) March 5, 2018
Jimmy Kimmel is my preferred jimmy but not the same as a woman host #oscars
— cherilyn (@cherloqholmes) March 5, 2018
No disrespect to Jimmy Kimmel, but wouldn't it have been a solid plan to have a woman host this year? #Oscars
— Big Rita (@IAmBirgitta) March 5, 2018
Wow @jimmykimmel crushing the game.
— Bethenny Frankel (@Bethenny) March 5, 2018
Jimmy Kimmel is the worst host ever. His opening has ruined the whole vibe of the Oscars . He is… https://t.co/5zqKzGBVWM
— Frank Stallone (@Stallone) March 5, 2018
Thank you, @jimmykimmel for highlighting how long we have to go before we achieve true gender equality in Hollywood. #Oscars
— NARAL (@NARAL) March 5, 2018
Jimmy kimmel just mentioned the never again movement in his Oscars speech... ok wow.
— Sarah Chadwick// #NEVERAGAIN (@sarahchad_) March 5, 2018
You know what would be better than Jimmy Kimmel up here half-heartedly apologizing for shitty men for 30 minutes? A WOMAN HOST.
— Heather Hogan (@theheatherhogan) March 5, 2018
Jimmy Kimmel is on it! He is hitting every theme and every relevant happening in the business. #Oscars
— T.J. Holmes (@tjholmes) March 5, 2018
It sort of flew by, but I really thought Kimmel handled that monologue very well. Light, but not pretending the last six months -- or the last gazillion years -- didn't happen or can't live alongside a celebration. #Oscars
— Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee) March 5, 2018
Jimmy Kimmel mentioning #neveragain AND the March for our Lives??? Hope y’all are watching the Oscars tonight #Oscars2018
— Delaney Tarr (@delaneytarr) March 5, 2018
Happy to see Jimmy Kimmel giving #NeverAgain a shoutout ????
— William LeGate (@williamlegate) March 5, 2018
Interesting that Jimmy Kimmel said "women and men" instead of "men and women". #Oscars
— Charlotte Clymer?????????? (@cmclymer) March 5, 2018
