Jimmy Kimmel would have been nicer to Tom Cruise if he came to the Oscars
2023 Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel planned to dedicate a "good chunk" of his monologue to Tom Cruise, but the movie star didn't show
Aux News Jimmy Kimmel
How do you address the elephant when it’s not in the room? This awards season, no one could ignore Top Gun: Maverick’s Tom Cruise, Savior of Movies. But he didn’t show up for some of the major ceremonies, meaning the hosts could shit-talk him all they wanted. That wasn’t what 2023 Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel wanted, apparently, but it’s what he resorted to when Cruise ditched the Academy Awards.
In a new interview with Variety, Kimmel’s wife and executive producer Molly McNearney explains that there were multiple versions of the Oscars monologue, with a “good chunk” dedicated to Cruise reviving theaters that were cut. “Jimmy loves Tom. Tom had just been on the show the week before,” she says. “And they talked about seeing each other and Jimmy was excited to tell him that we got real Navy pilots to do the flyover at the top of the Oscars. Jimmy was really disappointed he didn’t come.”
Instead, Kimmel swapped the apparently flattering cinema savior jokes for one about Scientology, which he wouldn’t have done if Cruise was in the room, McNearney claims. “We had about a three minute chunk of the monologue dedicated to Tom Cruise, honoring him and his role in reviving the movie industry. We were so disappointed when we learned a few days before the Oscars that he wouldn’t be there. Jimmy loves him and really wanted to celebrate him.”
Despite being a Spielberg-endorsed theatrical hero, the comedians who hosted this year’s various ceremonies couldn’t resist taking jabs at Cruise’s association with Scientology. At the Golden Globes, Jerrod Carmichael suggested exchanging Cruise’s three returned awards “for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige,” the long-missing wife of Scientology head David Miscavige. Meanwhile, Directors Guild Awards host Judd Apatow also roasted the absent movie star, taking shots at Cruise’s height, his fractured family situation, and his penchant for doing dangerous stunts. “But every time he does one of these new stunts, it does feel like an ad for Scientology,” Apatow cracked (per Variety). “I mean, is that in Dianetics? Because there’s nothing about jumping off a cliff in the Torah.”
In fact, Apatow’s jokes were so brutal that Variety reports that Cruise is rumored to have avoided the Academy Awards because he heard Apatow contributed to Kimmel’s monologue (The New York Post, meanwhile, claims he was trying to avoid ex-wife Nicole Kidman). “Jimmy tends to send his monologue to a group of people he trusts, comedy writers and comedians,” McNearney tells the outlet. “They don’t help with the monologue. They just tell him like that joke’s working, that joke’s not working. No, Judd was not writing or doing anything for the monologue.” Regardless, Cruise didn’t show, and Kimmel went a snarkier route with his quips, which is allegedly why Cruise didn’t show—call it a self-fulfilling prophecy.
27 Comments
Kimmel wears a wig.
Specifically, a merkin.
I know he’s a private guy but does anyone know any reason why Tom Cruise didn’t attend? That did seem weird that the guy who loves watching films in theatres and spent the past two years encouraging us to go sit in a theatre, couldn’t go sit in a theatre for 3 hours on the films biggest celebratory night.
I assume it was family stuff or w.e. right? After Maverick brought us back to the movies post-lockdown, you’d think he’d be in the front row.
I’m sure I read that he was on the other side of the world filming for the new Mission: Impossible, and that’s why he wasn’t there.
yes, I’m sure a new actor with no stature was unable to get the mean producers of his new movie to have an agreement that he could attend the Oscurs or some silly little thing he asked for that just COULD NOT BE WORKED OUT DUE TO SCHEDULING. I’m SURE that poor Tom really WANTED to be there and they just wouldn’t let him go.Man, they really take advantage of these poor, just-trying-to-find-a-way actors these days, huh?
I mean…maybe he just didn’t want to go because it’s boring? Just because he loves watching films in theaters doesn’t mean he loves watching a 3 hour slog of speeches in theaters.
I think that’s the most likely reason. He was pretty sure his movie wasn’t going to win any awards and he’s probably been to 30 Academy Awards programs plus dozens or hundreds of other awards ceremonies. He might have been filming a movie too, but he’s big enough that he could take a few days off if he said he wanted to attend. He probably just decided he didn’t want to and that was that, whether it was to keep filming his latest movie or sit at home and order pizza it doesn’t really matter.
Yeah I truly don’t understand how people are taking personal offense to this.
He was filming for his next movie. Do you ever just google questions you have?
This is what’s known as a “comments section.” Sometimes people post questions and comments about the articles because they wish to engage in discussions about the topic, which they find to be of interest, not just to obtain raw information. You can google it to find out more!
Swing and a miss. You clearly don’t know who cosmicghostrider is or the fact that they post incoherent rants daily about things they could easily check themselves before going into full outrage mode. My comment was directed at them for a reason.For the record, this is the second rant they’ve posted about this exact thing (Cameron and Cruise missing the event) on this article.
Fair enough; shade retracted. I don’t know this specific user but I know I’m guilty of asking stuff I could look up just for the infinitesimal endorphin hit of seeing someone has replied to my post.
I think we’re all guilty of doing that from time to time lol.
Maybe he thought it was going to be masturbatory and terrible and wanted to spend his Sunday doing something fun. This is not a defense of Tom Cruise. Award shows are the worst.
The two guys (Tom Cruise and James Cameron) who appeared at the beginning of films all year to thank us for being in a theatre, did not come out to sit in a theatre? Really?
So when James Cameron said “It doesn’t matter if your here to see Avatar or any other film I’m just glad ur here” he actually meant “I only care if you see Avatar”. Noted.
It’s just rich that the guy who claims to love all others movies stayed home sour cuz he didnt get nominated for Best Director. That’s really showing ur colours mate.
Yeah it seems pretty shitty on their part not to show up and support the crew who were nominated. Maybe they had a good reason, family stuff, whatever, but probably not. It seems on brand for Cameron to be that sour but Cruise was surprising. If anything I would have loved for Tom to join in and help Kimmel dunk on Nicole Kidman for those godawful AMC commercials.
Per reports, Cruise wasn’t available to show up because of filming obligations. Cameron was being a sore loser citing “personal reasons” for not going tho.
Honestly it feels like they gave Avatar the visual effects Oscar just so Cameron wouldn’t throw a shit-fit.
By all accounts, Avatar deserved it.
“The two guys (Tom Cruise and James Cameron) who appeared at the beginning of films all year to thank us for being in a theatre, did not come out to sit in a theatre?”
Correct. Two guys who were trying to get audiences to pay money to go to a cinema to watch movies did not show up at a non-cinema theatre to not pay for a ticket to not see a movie.
I guess to someone that might seem weird.
It might have had something to do with the vaccination policy?
“Jimmy loves Tom. Tom had just been on the show the week before,” she says. “And they talked about seeing each other and Jimmy was excited to tell him that we got real Navy pilots to do the flyover at the top of the Oscars. Jimmy was really disappointed he didn’t come.” First of all, this sounds like something from a Seinfeld script.Second of all, why would Jimmy take that personally, as if Tom didn’t come just to spite him? I’m all for making fun of Scientology but this explanation makes him sound like a bit of a baby.
“which he wouldn’t have done if Cruise was in the room, McNearney claims. “We had about a three minute chunk of the monologue dedicated to Tom Cruise, honoring him and his role in reviving the movie industry. We were so disappointed when we learned a few days before the Oscars that he wouldn’t be there. Jimmy loves him and really wanted to celebrate him.””
Yeah, this quote doesn’t support the assertion that he wouldn’t have done the Scientology joke had Cruise been there…
““But every time he does one of these new stunts, it does feel like an ad for Scientology,” Apatow cracked (per Variety). “I mean, is that in Dianetics? Because there’s nothing about jumping off a cliff in the Torah.””
It’s becoming more and more clear that Steve Carell was the funny one when he and Judd were writing The 40-Year Old Virgin.
I mean, THAT was a joke? Oof.
“We change our jokes to be nicer to the celebrities that show up” is, like, Reason #2 why the Oscars constantly struggle with their ratings.Is your job to coddle the celebrities or entertain your audience? Because it can’t be both.
I wish I could get paid to write the worst “Jokes” I’ve ever heard
Jibo Woke gFYS