Jimmy Kimmel once again took the stage at the Oscars for the 95th Academy Awards. The television host delivered his monologue smoothly, as he had done previously in 2017 and 2018. And he made sure to address every noteworthy thing that happened throughout 2022 till the award ceremony, from the Slapgate to the lack of female directors in the Best Director category.
He also mentioned how despite being nominated under multiple categories, Avatar director James Cameron and Top Gun: Maverick star Tom Cruise were not spotted at the 2023 Oscars.
Jimmy Kimmel Missed Tom Cruise and James Cameron at the 2023 Oscars
Jimmy Kimmel made a Top Gun-style entry as he landed on stage in a parachute. As he took the stage and talked about some of the best films of 2022, he also mentioned Tom Cruise and James Cameron. The talk show host addressed how both of them have been supportive of watching films in theatres.
However, neither of them attended the award ceremony hosted at the Dobly Theatre in Los Angeles. Kimmel said, “Tom Cruise and James Cameron didn’t show up. The two guys who insisted we go to the theater didn’t come to the theater.”
He also poked fun at the Titanic director, saying that the reason he did not join the ceremony was that he was not nominated under the Best Director category. He even took a hit at the academy as he made a reference to the Oscars snubbing women directors. The shared how surprised he was to find out that James Cameron was not nominated for the Best Director category.
“I mean, how does the Academy not nominate the guy who directed Avatar? What did they think he is, a woman?” he said. Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick won the Oscar for Best Sound, and James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water was awarded the Best Visual Effects award at the 95th Academy Awards.
Jimmy Kimmel Makes Reference to Will Smith’s Slapgate
Starting his monologue on a lighter note, Jimmy Kimmel went on to conclude it by making a reference to the infamous incident that happened at the 2022 Academy Awards. He said that anyone who commits an act of violence at the ceremony would be awarded an Oscar for Best Actor.
However, this was just the beginning of the references regarding the Slap. The comedian further said, “As you’ll recall is where we had that little squirmish last year. Hopefully this time it goes off without a hitch, or Hitch.”
He even told people to be cautious of attempting something similar to the King Richards star. Followed by the release of Chris Rock’s Netflix special, most people were sure that the host of the 2023 Oscars would refer to the infamous incident, and Kimmel surely did not disappoint them.
