TV personality Jimmy Kimmel hosts the 2017 Oscars. (Photo : YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live)
Jimmy Kimmel opened the Oscars 2017 with a monologue filled with political humor that involved Donald Trump. The TV host even ensured that Meryl Streep was honored given how the U.S. President previously slammed the multi-awarded actress after her Golden Globes speech.
Several of the biggest names in Hollywood converged together in Los Angeles to celebrate the 89th Academy Awards. Kimmel's opening monologue even poked fun at Trump, as well as other celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and others.
Kimmel also included Streep in his monologue and quoted Trump's earlier comment that described the actress as "over-rated." The Oscars 2017 host used the same description as he requested Streep to stand up and implored the audience to give her a round of applause.
When Streep faced her Hollywood colleagues, the actress was given a standing ovation as Kimmel joked that the applause was undeserving of an "over-rated" actress. Still poking fun at Trump, he even asked the "Devil Wears Prada" star whether her dress was from Ivanka Trump's fashion collection.
Apart from honoring Streep, Kimmel also commented on how some of his friends advised him to include a positive message in his monologue to help unite the country. The late-night host mentioned that he was not the right person to unite the U.S. but gave a suggestion on how every American can do their part to help the country heal.
Kimmel stated, "If every person watching this show... took a minute to reach out to someone you disagree with ... and have a positive conversation, not as liberal or conservatives, but as Americans... we could make America great again."
Meanwhile, the Oscars 2017 host also joked about his long-standing feud with Matt Damon. In an earlier interview with The Hollywood Reporter he mentioned that one of his goals for the Academy Awards was to keep his frenemy Damon from ambushing him on stage. The actor previously made a surprise appearance while Kimmel was hosting the 2016 Emmy Awards to mock the TV personality for losing his variety talk show.
In other news, former Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris called out Kimmel for keeping his Oscars 2017 hosting stint a secret from the actor. In an interview with People, the "Smurfs" star recounted how the late-night host denied his involvement in the Academy Awards but was announced as the event's host a week after their meeting.
The 89th Academy Awards was held on Feb. 26, Sunday at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Watch a clip of Kimmel's opening monologue below:
