2018 academy awards
Jimmy Kimmel addresses harassment, equal pay in Oscars monologue
In a pointed Oscars opening monologue, host Jimmy Kimmel didn't shy away from such hot topics as sexual harassment and gender inequality in Hollywood.
"I remember a time when the major studios didn't believe a woman or a minority could open a superhero movie," he said. "And the reason I remember that time is because it was March of last year." He mentioned Mark Wahlberg receiving $1.5 million to re-shoot scenes for All the Money in the World, while co-star Michelle Williams received a per diem pay, despite the actors both being represented by the same agent, and also what it took to get producer Harvey Weinstein kicked out of the academy.
There were lots of jokes, too — on Shape of Water, Kimmel noted that "we will always remember this year as the year men screwed up so badly women started dating fish," and if Hollywood can "work together to stop sexual harassment in the workplace, if we can do that, women will only have to deal with harassment all the time at every other place they go."
Kimmel then turned his attention to politics, encouraging the actors to use their speeches to bring attention to the March for Our Lives on March 24 and quipping, "We don't make films like Call Me By Your Name to make money, we make them to upset Mike Pence." Watch the monologue below. Catherine Garcia