Jimmy Kimmel calls out CBS over free speech at the Oscars
Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
- Jimmy Kimmel called out CBS and Donald Trump while presenting at the Oscars on Sunday.
- Kimmel's jabs at CBS allude to past controversies, including canceled shows and pulled segments.
- "All the Empty Rooms" and "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" win Oscars amid Kimmel's humorous remarks.
Jimmy Kimmel took several digs at CBS and President Donald Trump while presenting two awards at the Oscars on Sunday.
While announcing the nominees for best documentary short film, Kimmel took a swipe at CBS over free speech.
"As you know, there are some countries whose leaders don't support free speech. I'm not at liberty to say which. Let's just leave it at North Korea and CBS," Kimmel said.
His remark appeared to allude to several recent controversies at CBS, including the network's decision to cancel "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," a move some lawmakers have questioned as potentially politically motivated.
Last year, CBS also faced backlash after editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulled a "60 Minutes" segment about the Trump administration's deportation of migrants to El Salvador's CECOT prison hours before it was scheduled to air.
As Kimmel continued introducing the award, he added another subtle jab, this time at Amazon MGM's "Melania." The film, which cost $40 million to acquire and another $35 million to market, grossed $7 million in its opening weekend.
"Fortunately for all of us, there's an international community of filmmakers dedicated to telling the truth, oftentimes at great risk, to make films that teach us, that call out injustice, that inspire us to take action, and there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes," he added.
After presenting the award to "All the Empty Rooms," a short about the bedrooms left behind by victims of US school shootings, Kimmel returned to present the best documentary feature.
Without naming anyone, he joked, "Oh, man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn't nominated for this?"
The award went to "Mr. Nobody Against Putin," about a Russian primary school teacher who becomes a whistleblower against the Kremlin's wartime propaganda.
Kimmel himself is no stranger to the debate over free speech on late-night television, having been briefly taken off-air last September over his comments on Charlie Kirk's death.