Former President Donald Trump did not mince words about his views on the 96th Academy Awards, which he panned for being “a really bad politically correct show.”
The business magnate took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday to lambast the Oscars ceremony, specifically calling out comedian and television personality Jimmy Kimmel, who was at the helm of the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to host the Oscars for the fourth time.
“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars,” President Trump queried. “His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be.”
President Trump further criticized the Oscars, calling it “disjointed, boring, and very unfair.”
Woke Oscars
Mr. Kimmel read President Trump’s fiery statement live on stage during the ceremony. “Well, thank you, President Trump,” the television host said. “Thank you for watching. I’m surprised you’re still up. Isn’t it past your jail time?” he retorted.
“They’re like, ‘You’ve got a little bit of time’ and I was like, ‘I’m reading the Trump tweet,’ and they’re like, ‘No, no, don’t read that,’” he shared before adding, “[I was like] ‘Yes I am.’”
President Trump—who launched his censorship-free social media network in 2022 following his Twitter ban the year prior—wasn’t the only notable figure to speak out against this year’s Oscars.
Mr. Musk later mentioned that “when an award is diluted, everyone knows, including those who received it, and it no longer commands respect.”
His remarks were seemingly made in reference to the new representation and inclusion standards that were implemented for this year’s best picture category. The nominees were “The Holdovers,” “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Poor Things,” “Maestro,” “Past Lives, ”The Zone of Interest,“ and ”Oppenheimer.”
The critically acclaimed blockbuster biopic “Oppenheimer” ultimately took home the evening’s most prestigious award, and Mr. Musk posted again after the awards show, saying “Guess I was wrong.”
Criticism of the Academy Awards
President Trump’s remarks about the 96th Academy Awards aren’t the first time the former president has issued a scathing review of the Oscars. In 2021—just a few months after leaving office—he penned a similar statement, criticizing the 93rd Academy Awards for its record-low ratings.“What used to be called The Academy Awards, and now is called the ‘Oscars’—a far less important and elegant name—had the lowest Television Ratings in recorded history, even much lower than last year, which set another record low,” he wrote.
“If they keep with the current ridiculous formula, it will only get worse—if that’s possible,” President Trump continued in his 2021 message.
“Go back 15 years, look at the formula they then used ... don’t be so politically correct and boring, and do it right,” he said, before urging the awards show to “bring back a great host.”
“These television people spend all their time thinking about how to promote the Democrat Party, which is destroying our Country, and cancel Conservatives and Republicans,” he added. “That formula certainly hasn’t worked very well for The Academy!”
