Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel targeted former President Trump near the end of broadcast, reading the former president's post about his performance on Truth Social before adding, "isn't it past your jail time?"
Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday and criticized Kimmel, asking, "has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars?" Kimmel hosted the glitzy awards show for the fourth time.
"Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars. His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be. Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent,’George Slopanopoulos. He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous," the post said.
Kimmel said he received a "review," and read the social media post aloud.
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"Blah, blah, blah, make America great again," Kimmel said. "Ok now, see if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social. Anyone? No?"
"Well, thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still – isn’t it past your jail time?" he said as the audience applauded and laughed.
Prior to the show, Kimmel told CNN in an interview that he likely wouldn't spend much time talking politics. But he said, "There might be something that pops up and I put it in at the last minute."
"One of the most fun parts of my job is knowing that he hates being made fun of and making fun of him," Kimmel said during the interview, referring to Trump. "And then, every once in a while, he reminds us that he hates it and he gets mad. So, I love that. I take some pleasure in it."
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Kimmel also told CNN that he wanted to have Trump on his show.
"I would absolutely have him on the show," Kimmel said. "I do think there are a lot of questions I would like to ask him, and I would like to get actual answers. I think most of the interviews that he does don’t require those."
Earlier in the show Kimmel also took aim at Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who delivered the GOP response to President Biden's State of the Union address.
"Emma Stone is an Oscar nominee for a fifth time, right?" Kimmel said. "You were so unbelievably great in ‘Poor Things,’" he added. "Emma played an adult woman with the brain of a child, like the lady who gave the rebuttal to the State of the Union on Thursday night."
Stone went on to win Best Actress for the movie.
Fox News' Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
