Jimmy Kimmel may not be at the helm of this year’s Oscars, but the late-night host still got some laughs when he took the stage to present the documentary award and make an apparent comment about US President Donald Trump. As he took the stage to present the documentary award, he said: “We hear a lot about courage on shows like this, but telling a story that might get you killed is real courage. As you know, there are leaders in countries who don’t support free speech. I’m not at liberty to say which one. Let’s leave that to North Korea and CBS.”He also said, “Well, I’m going to do it. No Oscars. Why, gentlemen?”The comments referenced CBS’s recent decision not to allow Texas Rep. James Talarico to appear as a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” due to threats from the Federal Communications Commission. CBS earlier froze the “60 Minutes” segment that had been promoted.Kimmel has his own history with free speech issues, and he was abruptly taken off the air last fall after criticism from FCC Chairman Brendan Kahl, an action by Disney that became a rallying cry for free speech supporters.“Luckily for all of us, there is an international community of filmmakers committed to telling the truth, often taking huge risks to make films that teach us, call out injustice, inspire us to action, and there are documentaries that let you walk around the White House and try on shoes,” he added, taking a subtle dig at Amazon’s MGM’s “Melania.”Later, while presenting the Outstanding Documentary Award, Kimmel mentioned the film again and joked, “Oh, man, is he going to be mad that his wife didn’t get a nomination?”In the category, “All the Empty Rooms,” directed by Joshua Seftel and Conor Jones, won the Documentary Short Award, while “Nobody Against Mr. Putin,” by David Borenstein, Helle Faber, Alzbeta Karasková, Radovan Sibolt and Lucy Kang, won.
