Jimmy Kimmel: ‘Probably Will’ Mention Weinstein Scandal at Oscars
Jimmy Kimmel opened up about his talk show’s noted political bent in a new interview with New York. In the past few weeks, the host has spoken out about the Affordable Care Act and gun control in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting. And when he hosts next year’s Academy Awards, he says he won’t shy away from the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
“I probably will. It’s not really a laughing matter,” Kimmel said, explaining that he plans to tread carefully during the awards show. “There’ll be a lot of people in that room who maybe have been through experiences with him, and that’s not something I want them to relive on the night they get their Oscar.
“I have no interest in protecting Harvey Weinstein. I couldn’t care less about Harvey Weinstein. Hopefully, he will get what he deserves and we’ll all move on with our lives,” Kimmel continued, adding that he’s not discounting the possibility the Oscars may not even occur because “North Korea may have struck the Dolby Theatre.”
In that vein, Kimmel further explained that while his program’s politicization is nothing new (“we have been talking about politics for a very long time”), the issues he pursues come from a personal place. When his infant son required a heart operation, Kimmel says, he involuntarily became ensconced in the nation’s healthcare debate. When the Las Vegas tragedy occurred, he felt similarly compelled to defend his hometown.
“There’s definitely been a shift in my feeling about the country over the last year or so,” Kimmel said. “I feel frustrated. I don’t know – maybe a lot of it is media hysteria, but I go to bed worried and I wake up worried, and I honestly don’t know if things are going to be okay. I worry that we’re going to look back at Donald Trump almost fondly because someone worse will come after him.”