Oscar producers explain why Jimmy Kimmel took a shot at Tom Cruise's Scientology ties
Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue at the Oscars took quite an unexpected turn with that joke about Scientology aimed directly at Tom Cruise. The comment came right after Kimmel referenced 'Top Gun: Maverick', which went into the ceremony with six nominations, including Best Picture. When the joke did come for Cruise himself, though, things were a little different, and not everyone was amused.
Kimmel started by referring to 'Top Gun: Maverick' as "the movie that saved the movies." Then he snuck in a joke about Cruise's shirtless beach scene, a highly iconic moment in the film. He said, "I mean, Tom Cruise with his shirt off in that beach football scene. L Ron hubba-hubba – you know what I'm saying?" The reference to L. First and foremost, the surprise appearance by Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, and Cruise's personal link to the church, by far surprised many viewers. What was even more contentious with the matter is the fact that Cruise, despite his successful film, was not in attendance at the ceremony. He was filming 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part II' in the UK, and the producers did not find this out until just days before the event, according to Entertainment Weekly.
"We had about a three-minute chunk of the monologue dedicated to Tom Cruise, honoring him and his role in reviving the movie industry," said executive producer and Kimmel's wife, Molly McNearney, in a statement to 'Variety'. "Jimmy loves him and really wanted to celebrate him." But when it became clear Cruise wasn't going to show up, they retooled the segment at lightning speed. "We were so disappointed when a few days before the Oscars he said no, he wouldn't be there," McNearney said.
View this post on Instagram
"So we had wanted to honor him and then just had to shift gears and figure out a way to do it without him." Kimmel himself didn't conceal his disappointment. The comedian has long been an admirer of the actor and his decision to skip the Oscars was very last-minute due to his filming schedule. According to McNearney, had Cruise been there, the tone of the monologue would have been far more celebratory. "We were prepared to honor him in a way that felt right for everything he's done for the film industry, and we had to adjust when he wasn't there," she said. McNearney was adamant that the Scientology joke wouldn't have been made had Cruise been present. "No, that would never have happened," she said. "We had a whole different plan for how we were going to address Tom."
While the joke about Scientology did polarize debate, McNearney stressed it wasn't cruel. In effect, it was one of those spur-of-the-moment things to do a joke about Cruise's absence as humorous. As McNearney herself pointed out, "We were disappointed but had to make it work the best we could." And the product was a moment that has, perhaps meant light, served to scratch many heads of those who sat and witnessed it.
Unlike Cruise, who didn't take the joke publicly, actor Matt Damon never held back in his continued comic battle with Kimmel. This time around, as the 2024 Oscars approached, Kimmel took a jab at Damon for failing to show up to the event despite being in Oppenheimer. “He is not nominated for an Oscar. He was in Oppenheimer. Everyone else was nominated except for him,” Kimmel quipped during his opening monologue. He even joked, “What really happened? He couldn’t get a ticket. It’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard. He called and asked if he could come, and they said, 'Sorry, nominees only.'"
However, Damon snapped back at Kimmel in an Instagram video, as he joked, "I don't need a ticket to the Oscars. I’ve been there. I’ve won one. I’m good." Most recently, Kimmel roped in a viral dog actor, Messi, to continue the playful torment by showing Messi lifting his leg over Damon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during the 2024 Oscars broadcast. Kimmel had earlier joked about Messi’s performance in Anatomy of a Fall, saying, “Messi, who, even though he's a dog, may have given the performance of the year.” Whereas the jab at Cruise went nearly unanswered, Damon made good to keep the playful rivalry going and responded wittily, further sealing his position as Kimmel's favorite target in Hollywood.