Jimmy Kimmel took the stage at this year’s Academy Awards to present the award for the best documentary, and well, to make a brutal dig at the First Lady Melania Trump.
It seemed to many that it was exactly what the comedian was waiting for knowing that he never really misses a chance to poke fun at President Donald Trump and those close to him.
Without mentioning any names, Kimmel said before presenting the award, “There are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes.”
He then added: “Oh man, is he gonna be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this.” Of course, it was a reference to Melania’s documentary for which Amazon reportedly paid around $40 million to license it from Melania’s production company.
By all means, the documentary wasn’t the huge hit she and her husband anticipated to be as the interest in the film turned out to be low and ticket sales have been struggling.
Express revealed that “not a single ticket has been sold for the 9.55pm viewing at the busiest movie theatre in the metro-Jacksonville area,” with the cinema’s website showing every seat being available.
At the moment, the film has a paltry 1,5/10 rating on IMDb. It 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.
“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.”
Overall, the film was met with harsh criticism from reviewers. The Hollywood Reporter dismissed it as “expensive propaganda,” while The Atlantic went as far as calling it “a disgrace.” Meanwhile, The Guardian didn’t hold back either, branding it “gilded trash.” Taken together, the response paints a picture of a project that failed to win over even the most patient critics.
According to the Independent, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has lashed out at Kimmel for his comment.
Cheung took to X to slam the stand-up comedian, writing: “Jimmy Kimmel (Mr. Blackface) is a classless hack who is self-projecting his depression and sadness onto others.
“He lives a pathetic existence where nobody – not even his family – enjoys his miserable company. The only people giving him any attention are Hollywood Elites. BUH-BYE!”
Clips of the joke quickly went viral among MAGA supporters, sparking a furious backlash. Benny Johnson led the charge, blasting Kimmel as: “Trump Derangement Syndrome patient zero. So pathetic.”
Others piled on fast, with one calling the host a “Trump Deranged crybaby” and “the most broken man on planet Earth!”, while another lashed out, branding him an “insufferable TDS-deranged p****” and slamming “woke Hollywood” for snubbing the What Is a Woman? as yet more proof of liberal bias.
Kimmel, who famously hosted the 2024 Oscars, read aloud a Truth Social post from Donald Trump attacking him, replying with a quip aimed at the then-presidential candidate: “Isn’t it past your jailtime?”
Earlier this month, he also poked fun at Melania Trump on his show, joking: “Between this and Sinners, it’s been a big year for vampire movies.”
“And while some might say that it is not a great look to be plugging your vanity project while your husband’s bombing another country, Melania has never cared much about optics. She can’t even pronounce optics.
“More than anything, this documentary is dreadfully dull. The whole thing is Melania going to fittings, riding in a car, trying on clothes, and interviewing people to work for her.”
At this year’s Oscars, 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.”
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