Last night’s Academy Awards were less political than some previous ceremonies. There weren’t big speeches like Michael Moore criticizing the Iraq war in 2003, or Vanessa Redgrave attacking “Zionist hoodlums” in 1978, or even Marlon Brando refusing his Oscar for *The Godfather* to protest how Hollywood treated Native Americans, sending Sacheen Littlefeather to speak on his behalf.
This year, politics were still there, just not as much as before.
The sharpest comments came from the presenters, not the winners. Javier Bardem, who’s won four Oscars, made a quick remark while presenting the Best International Feature award. He said, “No to war, and free Palestine,” while wearing a sign that read “No a la Guerra” on his lapel.
But the biggest political jokes came from Jimmy Kimmel, the former Oscar host, who was presenting the Best Documentary Feature and Short awards.
He made fun of the documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, which was widely criticized and mostly ignored.
Kimmel joked, “Oh man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this,” as he introduced the Best Documentary Feature category.
He also made a sharp point about courage in filmmaking.
“We hear a lot about courage at shows like this,” he said. “But telling a story that could get you killed for telling it is real courage.”
Then came the punchline.
“As you know, there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech,” he added.
“I’m not at liberty to say which. Let’s just leave it at North Korea and CBS.”
He also made a not-so-subtle joke about Melania’s documentary.
“Fortunately for all of us there’s an international community of filmmakers dedicated to telling the truth… and there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes.”
The audience laughed, and the internet went wild.
The White House wasn’t happy.
Within hours, Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, posted a furious response on social media.
He called Kimmel a “classless hack who is self-projecting his depression and sadness onto others.”
Cheung didn’t stop there.
“He lives a pathetic existence where nobody—not even his family—enjoys his miserable company,” Cheung wrote.
“The only people giving him any attention are Hollywood elites. BUH-BYE!”
In other words, a few jokes at the Oscars were enough to cause a big reaction from the president’s team.
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