The 2018 Oscar winners were named on March 4, and though there were some moments to remember, the near four-hour-long award show received the lowest ratings of all time — and Trump couldn’t help but tweet about it.
Host Jimmy Kimmel, as promised, didn’t joke about the Me Too or TIME’S UP movements. His intro had its ha-ha moments, but he used the opening monologue to encourage award recipients and presenters to talk about important issues such as those initiatives and, he suggested, the March For Our Lives protest on the 24th of this month.
“We need to set an example,” Kimmel declared. “Things are changing for the better. This is a night for positivity.”
The 90th Academy Awards this year — in all their jet ski, Helen Mirren shot-taking, Jodie Foster on crutches glory — had the lowest TV ratings ever at 26.5 million viewers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, viewership dropped 19 percent since last year’s show, which garnered 32.9 million viewers and was the least-watched Oscars since 2008.
The Associated Press reported that this marked the first time Oscar viewership dropped below 30 million people. (The data, however, doesn’t include the people who live-streamed the event.)
Tuesday morning, the president made a jab at Hollywood stars and, perhaps, Kimmel, who is known for his Trump jokes — and maybe even “fake” ABC news. “Lowest rated Oscars in HISTORY,” he tweeted. “Problem is, we don’t have Stars anymore – except your President (just kidding, of course)!”
Lowest rated Oscars in HISTORY. Problem is, we don’t have Stars anymore – except your President (just kidding, of course)!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2018
This came after Trump joked over the weekend about ruling “for life” and posted a tweet mocking “Alex” Baldwin‘s “dying mediocre career.”
Kimmel took some shots at Trump during the 2018 Oscars. For one, when he was introducing “Black Panther” actress Lupita Nyong’o, he said, “The stunning Lupita Nyong’o, she was born in Mexico and raised in Kenya. Let the tweetstorm from the president’s toilet begin!”
He also poked fun at Mike Pence when talking about “Call Me By Your Name,” the Oscar-nominated movie chronicling a relationship between a 17-year-old and a young doctoral student.
“We don’t make movies like ‘Call Me by Your Name’ for money,” Kimmel said. “We make them to upset Mike Pence.”
Trump replied to his own tweet with a reference to yesterday’s ruling from a Maryland judge striking down a lawsuit, which challenged the president’s ability to revoke DACA:
Federal Judge in Maryland has just ruled that “President Trump has the right to end DACA.” President Obama had 8 years to fix this problem, and didn’t. I am waiting for the Dems, they are running for the hills!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2018
So, there you have it. Trump: problem-fixer and “star” of the White House because Dems are “running for the hills.” But what about his low ratings?
