Many fans were disappointed when Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise did not appear at the Oscars 2023 event. His absence pretty much became a controversy, and even David Letterman demanded to know why. Visiting Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, the latter asked the Oscars host: “Where was Tom Cruise?”
Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick was nominated in six categories, and one win for Best Sound. The movie became one of the highest-grossing films of 2022, and despite this achievement, the lead actor did not show up at the awards night.
David Letterman Doesn’t Buy Tom Cruise’s Excuse For Skipping The Oscars 2023
To answer David Letterman’s query, host Jimmy Kimmel said that no one has any idea where Tom Cruise was. He responded (via EW):
“We don’t know where Tom Cruise was. We heard production issues.”
Letterman was unsatisfied with the excuse, and he interjected:
“What does that mean? That’s nonsense. Tom Cruise should’ve been there celebrating his big jetpack Maverick show.”
Kimmel noted that it was quite a “non-specific” excuse, although no one knows what exactly happened behind curtains. He also added:
“It seems like he should’ve been there, but he was not there and, like you were saying before, maybe he didn’t feel like he was gonna win so he didn’t want to come.”
Letterman insisted that Cruise should have attended the big night, especially since he was hailed as the “Prince of Hollywood” and that Top Gun: Maverick is one of the Oscars contenders.
Kimmel, in his opening monologue, poked fun at Cruise and made a Scientology joke. Producer Molly McNearney, later on, revealed that they initially planned to praise Cruise’s achievements during the host’s speech, before they found out he was absent. Speaking with Variety, McNearney shared:
“We had about a three-minute chunk of the monologue dedicated to Tom Cruise, honoring him and his role in reviving the movie industry. We were so disappointed when we learned a few days before the Oscars that he wouldn’t be there. Jimmy loves him and really wanted to celebrate him.”
Many were, indeed, disappointed with Tom Cruise’s non-appearance at the Oscars, but it seems that Kimmel was the most disheartened of all.
Jimmy Kimmel Triumphantly Led The Oscars 2023 After Last Year’s Disaster
David Letterman praised Jimmy Kimmel on his return to host the iconic Oscars 2023. The show garnered its highest ratings in three years, a feat that must be celebrated after the controversy that befallen the event last year.
“You resurrected this carcass, and the network and the Academy ought to be very grateful. More to the power of your success, if Mr. Big Shot is not there and still the show has never been more successful, nice going Jimmy.”
The comedian-host was invited to lead the 95th Academy Awards, which he openly accepted, given the perfect timing. When asked about his job as a host as a nudge to the infamous Oscars slap, Kimmel told THR:
“I’m in a unique position in that my job is to make fun of people in Hollywood and then to have them sit next to me on the stage. And I’ve had 20 years of practice as far as balancing that stuff out goes.”
This is the third time Jimmy Kimmel became the host of the Oscars event.
