Jimmy Kimmel at Oscars: ‘We could make America great again’

Jimmy Kimmel opened the 89th Academy Awards telecast with a monologue that included a heartfelt and upbeat plea to America:

‘”As you know, this country is divided right now. I’ve been getting a lot of advice. People have been telling me you have to bring everyone together. You need to say something to unite us. Let’s get something straight: I can’t do that. There’s only one Braveheart in this room [referring to Mel Gibson] and he’s not gonna unite us either. …

“I’m not the man to unite this country, but it can be done. If every person watching, and there are millions right now, if you took a minute to reach out to one person you disagree with, someone you like, and have a positive and considerate conversation, not as liberals or conservatives but as Americans, we could make America great again. It starts with us.”

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Earlier in the monologue, Kimmel drew uproarious laughter for his joke aimed at President Trump and his administration policies:

“This broadcast is being watched by millions of Americans and around the world, 225 countries that now hate us, and I think that is an amazing thing.”

Kimmel then joked and pretended to oust media outlets whose names included the word “Times”:

“If you’re from CNN or the LA or New York Times, if you work for anything with the word ‘Times’ in it, even like Medieval Times, I’d like to ask you to leave the building right now, ok? We have no tolerance for fake news. Fake tans we love, but [not] fake news.”

Late in the evening, Kimmel was musing on the fact that the president was conspicuously not tweeting during the telecast (the president and First Lady were busy Sunday night hosting the gala Governors Ball at the White House). Kimmel queried the president via his own tweet:

Among Kimmel’s other “surprises” during the telecast, were the arrival of dozens of tiny packages gently falling from the ceiling and containing Red Vines and Junior Mints, followed later on by donuts delivered in the same way.