Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was recently a presenter at the 2026 Oscars. While there, he took the time to poke fun at one film that wasn’t even nominated. Since then, political commentator Megyn Kelly has shared her reaction to the story.
Jimmy Kimmel Talked Politics During His Recent Appearance At The 98th Academy Awards
Both Kelly and Kimmel are well-known media personalities. For her part, Kelly is known for hosting a number of Fox News programs. Currently, she has served as the host of her namesake podcast and SiriusXM radio series, The Megyn Kelly Show. Meanwhile, Kimmel has been the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003.
Recently, Hollywood came together at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 98th Academy Awards. Kimmel himself appeared as a presenter at the event, where he had a few choice words about one recent film in particular.
At the event, Kimmel presented the awards for “Best Documentary Short Film” and “Best Documentary Feature.” While presenting for the latter, Kimmel made a joke about President Donald Trump, sharing, “Oh man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this.” This was in reference to Prime Video’s Melania documentary.
Kimmel then joked that there were some countries that don’t allow their people to criticize those in power. He then listed North Korea and CBS. He continued, “Fortunately for all of us, there is an international community of filmmakers dedicated to telling the truth. And there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes.”
Megyn Kelly Came To The First Lady’s Defense During A Recent Episode Of Her Podcast
Since the event, Kelly has responded to Kimmel’s joke during a recent episode of her podcast series. In particular, she took issue with Kimmel going after the First Lady’s documentary.
Kelly shared, “OK, so he’s got to slam the first lady – nice.” She also felt that the film deserved more credit. As Kelly added, “By the way, her documentary has done very, very well. It’s pulled in tens of millions of dollars, way more than any documentary of its kind.”
Ultimately, the podcast host felt, “He’s incapable of even complimenting the first lady or just staying away from her. He can’t help himself and got a big laugh from the audience. It’s disgusting.”
Kimmel wasn’t the only figure Kelly discussed during the event. She also took issue with host Conan O’Brien, who jokingly warned during the event that, “Tonight could get political, and if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock.” This was in reference to the Turning Point Halftime Show. For her part, Kelly highlighted that TPUSA didn’t have the money Hollywood did, but still put on “an amazing show.” She also told O’Brien to leave his “white-privilege, woke Hollywood bubble.”
However, Kelly had more positive things to say about some stars. She particularly highlighted Nicole Kidman. At the event, the actress shared that she attended church that day. This also caused Kelly to joke that this must have caused a reporter to melt like “the Wicked Witch of the West” in reaction to hearing something like that from a Hollywood star.
What is your reaction to Jimmy Kimmel’s Oscars joke or Megyn Kelly’s reaction? Have you been following this story? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.
