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Oscars Appearance
Jimmy Kimmel returned to the Oscars stage to present awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony on March 15, 2026.
“Jimmy Kimmel made several jokes about Donald Trump and Melania Trump while presenting at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday. Kimmel took the stage during the ceremony, which was hosted by Conan O'Brien, to introduce the winners for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short.”
The late-night host, who has hosted the Academy Awards four times, took advantage of his presenting slot to deliver several political jabs aimed at President Donald Trump and the Trump administration.
Kimmel opened his segment by joking about his previous hosting role, quipping "Wait, am I not hosting the show?" while addressing the audience at the Dolby Theatre.
His appearance came two years after he had handed off hosting duties to Conan O'Brien, who returned as host for the 2026 ceremony.
Melania Documentary Jokes
During his presentation, Kimmel made specific jokes about Melania Trump's self-titled documentary, which was released earlier in 2026 and directed by Brett Ratner.
While introducing the nominees for Best Documentary Feature, Kimmel quipped that "Oh man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn't nominated for this," drawing laughter from the audience.
Earlier in his monologue, he had made a broader critique of documentary filmmaking, stating that "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."
CBS Free Speech Jab
Kimmel also took aim at CBS during his presentation, making a veiled reference to network controversies related to free speech.
“Two years after handing off the Oscars hosting duties to Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel came back to the awards ceremony to present the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Short. And with the few minutes that he had onstage, he crammed in as many swipes at Donald Trump and the right wing as he could. Before presenting the short doc award, Kimmel noted that several of the nominees in the category created their films at great personal risk in countries 'whose leaders don't support free speech.' 'I'm not at liberty to say which, but let's just leave it at North Korea and CBS,' he joked in a veiled swipe at CBS' cancellation of 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.'”
While introducing the Best Documentary Short category, he remarked that "we hear a lot about courage at shows like this, but telling a story that could get you killed for telling it is real courage. As you know, there are some countries whose leaders don't support free speech. I'm not at liberty to say which, but let's just leave it at North Korea and CBS."
The comment appeared to reference several recent controversies at CBS, including the network's decision to cancel "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" and editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulling a "60 Minutes" segment about Trump administration policies.
Background Context
The jokes came amid a long-standing feud between Kimmel and President Trump.
The late-night host has frequently criticized the Trump administration, and his show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was temporarily suspended by ABC in September 2025 after he made comments about the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, which Trump celebrated.
Kimmel has also previously mocked Melania's documentary on his show, calling it a "vanity project" and joking about its $75 million budget.
The documentary itself, which followed Melania Trump during the weeks leading up to her husband's second inauguration in January 2025, was a critical and commercial failure, earning only $7 million in its opening weekend despite a massive $40 million acquisition and $35 million marketing budget from Amazon MGM Studios.
Oscars Atmosphere
Kimmel's political humor reflected the broader atmosphere at the 98th Academy Awards, which featured several moments of political commentary.
“Meanwhile, last night's Oscars were dominated by One Battle After Another, which took home six awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, as well as Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn. Sinners followed behind with four wins, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan and a historic Best Cinematography award for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who became the first woman and woman of colour to win the category. Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley and Amy Madigan took home the Actress and Supporting Actress awards. Host Conan O'Brien also took at dig at Timothée Chalamet's controversial recent comments about ballet and opera, while there was a moving In Memoriam tribute to Rob Reiner from Billy Crystal, as well as a Bridesmaids reunion. Some viewers also criticised the show for cutting off speeches by the songwriters behind Best Original Song winner 'Golden' from KPop Demon Hunters.”
Presenter Javier Bardem also called out Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu for creating "another illegal war" while declaring "free Palestine."
The ceremony was dominated by the film "One Battle After Another," which took home six awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
Some viewers criticized the show for cutting off speeches, particularly by the songwriters behind the Best Original Song winner 'Golden' from KPop Demon Hunters.
Kimmel's return to the Oscars stage demonstrated his willingness to use the platform for political commentary, continuing a tradition of hosts who have mixed humor with social and political critique at Hollywood's biggest night.