Jimmy Kimmel’s Best & Worst Oscar Monologue Jokes

Jimmy Kimmel took to the stage to host the Academy Awards for the fourth time on Sunday, March 10, 2024. The late-night host came prepped with several zingers. From tasteless commentary to silly wordplay, some of the jokes landed, while others left us cringing from our couches. So, let’s review the 13+-minute monologue and recount where he went right…and where he went irredeemably wrong. 

Best: ‘Barbie’ jokes

When Jimmy Kimmel noted Greta Gerwig’s snub for a Best Director nomination, explaining that many felt she was more than deserving for transforming the dated doll into a feminist icon, the audience clapped with vigor. However, clapping away was the very audience that didn’t vote for her, and Kimmel called them out on it. It was a clever way to get at all the pretense and somewhat feigned universal idolization that can surround the award ceremony (despite what goes on when the ballots are sent out), and it also acknowledged the heated discourse surrounding the movie and the Oscars, making it an ultra-relevant punch. He later fawned over how beautiful Ryan Gosling is, which anyone with working eyes can acknowledge, before noting that the two of them should go camping and not tell their wives with a very Brokeback Mountain agenda. It was a cute and simple quip. 

Worst: Robert Downey Jr. jokes

How many times do we have to bring up Downey’s past drug issues? It’s both not funny and a cheap avenue to explore when it comes to the Iron Man star. After all these years, you’ve got nothing else to write a joke about? Kimmel noted that this nomination was the “highest” point in Downey’s career before correcting himself, saying “Well, one of the highest points,” which garnered both groans and laughs, but he didn’t stop there! When Robert touched his nose to indicate “too on the nose,” Kimmel asked, “Was that too on the nose, or is that a drug motion you made?” Downey even eventually motioned Kimmel to move on, as he seemed to get stuck on the nominee, spending way too much time attacking his past when there were others to pick on. It’s simply in poor taste and a part of Downey’s past that shouldn’t creep in whenever he’s experiencing triumph for his career accomplishments. 

The reason why people are up in arms about Jimmy Kimmel's "jokes" about Robert Downey Jr., is a simple reason really. He's just not funny.

The only reason he's still a late night host and gets these gigs is because he's a willing puppet. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/qaR9kLjGyb

— The Nu Geekz (@TheNuGeekz) March 11, 2024

Best: The “dad” jokes 

Who doesn’t love a good dad joke? At the end of the day, they may be super cheesy and a bit simplistic, but they’re also unequivocally innocent and boast a universal appeal. Kimmel made two of these playfully-spirited, wordplay-based jokes — the first one involved Cillian Murphy and the latter involved Yorgos Lanthimos and Yorgos Mavropsaridis. He noted that when Cillian plays a dramatic part, his name is pronounced “kill-ee-in,” but when he takes on comedy, it’s “silly-Ann.” He later explained that two men by the name of Yorgos were nominated, noting that “Yor-gos is as good as mine” as to whether both would win. Eye-roll worthy? Yes. Smirk-inducing? Also yes. 

Worst: Christopher Nolan porn jokes

We’re making jokes about drug addiction and porn addiction? Who greenlit these gutter comments? Kimmel explained that Christopher Nolan is very detached from the digital world — he doesn’t have a smartphone or use email and writes his scripts on a computer without an internet connection. Kimmel went on to justify this choice saying Nolan’s mentality is, “I will not allow my porn addiction to get in the way of my work.” The joke felt lazy and uninspired as if there was no better way to incorporate the successful director behind The Dark Knight, Tenet, Interstellar,  and Dunkirk. There are so many movies to reference and so many jokes around the twist-turny worlds he develops…as well as the bloated runtimes that tend to define his production. 

Best: Jodie Foster and Robert DeNiro zinger

Kimmel shared, “48 years ago, Robert DeNiro and Jodie Foster were nominated for Taxi Driver and they’re both nominated tonight….In 1976, Jodie Foster was young enough to be Robert DeNiro’s daughter. Now, she’s 20 years too old to be his girlfriend.” Considering DeNiro is dating Tiffany Chen — a woman who is 35 years younger than he is — this comment is on the nose. The joke gets even better when the camera pans to Foster who’s smiling and nodding away with fervor in concurrence. The camera also shows DeNiro laughing, revealing that the joke went well over swimmingly for those involved. It’s also a dig at an industry that lets men grow distinguished and date women half their age while women grow too old to play leading ladies and receive condemnation when dating younger men.