Jimmy Kimmel addresses 'Barbie' snubs, Hollywood strikes in 2024 Oscars monologue

For Jimmy Kimmel, the fourth time's the charm. The comedian and late-night talk show host is hosting the Oscars for the fourth time, and the second year in a row.

Kimmel's daring monologue last year addressed — of course — the now infamous altercation that occurred at the ceremony a year prior when Will Smith slapped host Chris Rock. Smith apologized that night, and more directly in a July Instagram video.

This year, he called out the crowd for being responsible for "Barbie" not being nominated for more films before he went on to applaud Hollywood for standing united on the picket lines during the strikes.

As Kimmel walked onto the Dolby Theatre stage, the crowd immediately applauded. "Thank you for that partial standing ovation," he joked.

He explained that even though the 2024 Oscars started an hour earlier than usual, he promised that the show would continue the tradition of running over.

"It was a hard year but it was also a great year for movies. Despite the fact that everything stopped, the people in this room managed to come up with so many excellent films and so many memorable performances. This night is full of enormous talent and untold potential but so was 'Madame Web' so who knows?" he said.

Kimmel decided to discuss the "Barbie" phenomenon first. He credited director Greta Gerwig for turning the doll into a "feminist icon." He then touched on the controversy surrounding Gerwig and Margot Robbie not landing Oscar nominations for best director and best actress, respectively. He pointed out that members of the audience caused the snub by not voting for her.

He also quipped that Robbie and her co-star Ryan Gosling would be fine if they did not win an Oscar because they already won the "genetic lottery."

Next up was "Oppenheimer," leading to an awkward interaction between Kimmel and Robert Downey r.

"This is the highest point of Robert Downey Jr.'s long and illustrious career...one of the highest points," he said, referring to the actor's past drug use. As the crowd groaned, Downey went along with the jab and simply touched his nose in response and motioned for Kimmel to move on.

Kimmel then, somewhat inexplicably, kept joking about Downey Jr.

"Look at this guy. He's so handsome, so talented," Kimmel continued. "He's won every award there is to win — is that an acceptance speech in your pocket or if you just have a very rectangular penis?"

Downey Jr. then deadpanned to the camera as the audience chuckled uncomfortably.

Downey wasn't the only nominee Kimmel called out.

"Forty-eight years ago, Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster were nominated for 'Taxi Driver' and they're both nominated again tonight," Kimmel began.

He continued, "In 1976, Jodie Foster is young enough to be Robert De Niro's daughter. Now, she's 20 years too old to be his girlfriend." The "Killers of the Flower Moon" star took the joke well and was shown chuckling in his seat.

After a few more quips, Kimmel ended his monologue by thanking the actors and writers for striking so that members of the industry could land another deal.

"We can be proud of the fact that this long and difficult work stoppage taught us that this very strange town of ours as pretentious and superficial as it could be, at its heart, is a union town," he said as the audience cheered.

He explained, "The reason we were able to make a deal is because of the people rallied beside us. Before we celebrate ourselves, let's have a very well-deserved round of applause for the people who work behind the scenes."

Kimmel was then joined on stage by the unsung heroes in the industry who helped bring productions to life. He said he planned to stand beside the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees if they plan to strike, too.

"It's golden time everybody should we give out some Oscars," he concluded before the supporting actress nominees were announced.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com