Jimmy Kimmel didn’t hold back during his opening Oscars monologue—and wasted no time roasting the members of the Academy for neglecting to nominate director Greta Gerwig for ‘Barbie,’ saying, “many believed [she] deserved to be nominated for best director tonight.”
But, when the audience full of Academy members applauded, he was quick to point out they were responsible for leaving her out of the race. “Hold on a second. I know you’re clapping, but you’re the ones who didn’t vote for her, by the way. Don’t act like you had nothing to do with this.”
He also ribbed Robert Downey Jr.’s Hollywood journey and joked that his nomination for best-supporting actor in ‘Oppenheimer,’ which he went on to win later in the night, was the “highest” point of his career. “Well, one of the highest points,” Kimmel added, referencing the actor’s sobriety after a decades-long battle with substance abuse.
When the camera cut to Downey, he put his finger to his nose and Kimmel was quick to crack, “Is that too on-the-nose, or is that a drug motion you’re making?”
The late-night host then turned his attention to Messi, the adorable border collie dog from ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, who was decked out in a bowtie and sat front row for the ceremony.
“Even though he’s a dog, [he] may have given the performance of the year,” Kimmel quipped. “He has an overdose scene. I haven’t seen a French actor eat vomit like that since Gérard Depardieu.”
In a heartfelt moment, Kimmel addressed last year’s actors’ and writers’ strikes that stopped production for more than six months and praised the crew members that stood in solidarity with them. He then brought the Oscars’ crew on-stage to take a bow and promised that Hollywood heavyweights would return the favor now that below-the-line workers are entering contract negotiations of their own.
As expected, ‘Oppenheimer’ dominated the awards, winning seven prizes, including Best Picture and Best Director, for Christopher Nolan – his first win after 8 nominations. Cillian Murphy took home his first Oscar as well, winning best lead actor for his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb, and in his acceptance speech he dedicated the win to “peacemakers everywhere.”
The moment was especially poignant because hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors obstructed the red carpet and entrance to the theatre, causing the show to start behind schedule. And, a swath of stars and nominees, including Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, Mahershala Ali, Ramy Youssef, and Ava DuVernay showed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine by wearing Artists4Ceasefire pins.
Another emotional moment came when Emma Stone won the best lead actress trophy for her role in ‘Poor Things,’ a twisted gender-swapping retelling of ‘Frankenstein.’ Visibly shaken and near tears, the actress took a moment to acknowledge all her fellow nominees before singling out Lily Gladstone, who many predicted would win for her role in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’
“I share this with you,” she said to Gladstone. “I am in awe of you. And it’s been such an honor to do all this together; I hope we get to do more together.”
Stone, who previously won a Best Actress Oscar in 2017 for ‘La La Land,’ ended her acceptance speech by thanking her family, her husband and her nearly 3-year-old daughter saying, “She has turned our lives Technicolor. I love you bigger than the whole sky, my girl.”
As always, music was a big part of the night. Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell got a standing ovation for their haunting performance of “What Was I Made For” from the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack. The pair then took home the trophy for best song, making Oscar history by becoming the youngest two-time winners ever—Eilish is 22 and her brother O’Connell is 26. The pop-star siblings previously won for “No Time to Die,” the title song for the 2022 James Bond film.
“I had a nightmare about this last night,” Eilish joked while accepting her award. “I didn’t think this would happen; I wasn’t expecting this. I feel so incredibly lucky and honored.”
She also thanked her best friend Zoey for “playing Barbies with me growing up and being by my side forever.” She then continued, “I want to thank my dance teachers growing up. I want to thank my choir teachers — Ms. Bringham, thanks for believing in me. Ms. T, you didn’t like me, but you were good at your job. And thank you to the Academy! I love you!”
O’Connell made a point to thank their parents “forever and ever and ever.”
Ryan Gosling didn’t take home any awards, but he blew the crowd away with his performance of “I’m Just Ken,” also from the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack. Wearing a hot pink bedazzled suit, he began his song from his seat before dancing his way towards the stage, with the A-list crowd singing and dancing along with him. On-stage he was joined by Mark Ronson and a group of his fellow Kens dressed in suits and cowboy hats. Legendary Guns ‘N Roses rocker Slash and guitarist Wolfgang Von Halen then surprised the cheering audience by coming in to help close out the song.
Kimmel returned to the stage holding Gosling’s sparkling pink pants and joked that he was taking them home, before announcing that there was enough time left in the show to share a review he’d just received on social media.
“‘Has there ever been a worst host than Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars?’” the host read from his phone. “‘His opening was that of a less-than-average person trying too hard to be something which he is not and never can be.’…Okay, now see if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social. Anyone?,” Kimmel asked the laughing audience.
He then closed out the gag by pointing out Donald Trump’s multiple criminal cases and snarking at him, “Thank you for watching. I’m surprised you’re still up. Isn’t it past your jail time?”
Best Picture
Oppenheimer
Best Director
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Actor
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Best Actress
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Best Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Original Screenplay
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall
Best Adapted Screenplay
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Best Animated Feature
The Boy and the Heron
Best International Feature
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)
Best Documentary Feature
20 Days in Mariupol
Best Documentary Short
The Last Repair Shop
Best Live-Action Short
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Best Animated Short
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Best Original Score
Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer
Best Original Song
“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Best Sound
The Zone of Interest
Best Production Design
Poor Things
Best Cinematography
Oppenheimer
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Poor Things
Best Costume Design
Holly Waddington, Poor Things
Best Film Editing
Oppenheimer
Best Visual Effects
Godzilla Minus One
Academy Honorary Awards
Angela Bassett
Mel Brooks
Carol Littleton