Earlier this year, Filipino comedian Jo Koy dropped the ball while hosting the Golden Globes for the first time, with many deeming his jokes toward Taylor Swift and Barbie sexist and offensive. But in the case of the 96th Academy Awards, to avoid any such controversy, the Oscars brought in the experienced Late Night host Jimmy Kimmel to present the ceremony for the fourth time.
But while Kimmel is well-versed in the hosting scenario and how to approach jokes about celebrities, one of his jokes left Poor Things Star Emma Stone visibly irritated.
Emma Stone Wasn’t Laughing Along to Jimmy Kimmel’s Joke
Having previously won the Best Actress accolade for La La Land in 2017, Emma Stone entered the 96th Academy Awards as one of the favorites to take the accolade home for the second time. But while Poor Things was one of the most acclaimed movies of the year, which entered the Award Ceremony with 10 nods under its belt, this didn’t stop Kimmel from poking fun at the film.
With the Oscars pulling off standard montages for each Best Picture nominee, after Poor Things‘ montage ended, which involved Stone displaying the spectrum of human emotions, Kimmel joked:
“Those were all the parts of Poor Things that we’re allowed to show on TV,”
Kimmel’s joke was a reference to the explicit s-x scenes involved in the Yorgos Lanthimos film. While Mark Ruffalo was seen laughing at the joke, Emma Stone looked visibly irritated. Without an ounce of humor in her expression, Stone turned to her husband, stating “Oh my god,” which is uncommon for the jovial actor, as she deemed Kimmel a “prick” in response.
Jimmy Kimmel Urges Golden Globe to Give Jo Koy Another Shot at Hosting
Prior to hosting the Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel shared sympathy for the Filipino comedian Jo Koy, who was bashed by the internet for his joes, earning the infamous deadpan stare from Taylor Swift. The Late Night host further stressed that Golden Globes should bring back Koy once again, claiming he’s a funny guy and has learned all his lessons. Kimmel told THR:
“It’s a lot easier for me than it is for Jo Koy. It’s like if a stranger walks up to you and goes, ‘Nice shirt, Tom Selleck.’ If it’s one of your friends, you don’t take offense to it, but if it’s somebody you don’t know, you might smack him one. And not that I have any business programming the Golden Globes, but I think they should let Jo Koy host the show next year and give him a shot at doing it over. It would be very smart. I think he learned all the lessons, and he’s a funny guy. I think it would be nice for everyone.
While it’s not uncommon for hosts to make fun at the expense of the audience, it’s reasonable to see why Stone was perturbed by Kimmel’s reductive comments about one of the best films of 2023.
Poor Things is available to rent on Apple TV.
