Late night host Jimmy Kimmel promised to return to the scene of a moment that triggered President Donald Trump ― under one very specific condition.
Kimmel pointed out that the new documentary about first lady Melania Trump beat expectations by taking in $7 million over the weekend.
“It was the biggest opening for a non-musical vanity project/brazen corporate bribe in 10 years,” he said of the film, for which Amazon paid $75 million for production, distribution and promotion.
The movie has a 6% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but Kimmel said it was getting “a strong 100%” on Fox News, where network personality Kayleigh McEnany gushed that it should be nominated for an Oscar.
“Mark my words right now,” Kimmel said. “If ‘Melania’ gets nominated for an Oscar, I will host that show whether they ask me to or not. I will insist on it.”
Kimmel hosted the Oscars four times, and Trump wasn’t happy about it ― with one moment in particular really setting him off.
Jimmy Kimmel reads a message from Donald Trump during the 2024 Oscars.
Kevin Winter via Getty Images
During the 2024 ceremony, Trump fired off a message insulting Kimmel while the show was still under way. Kimmel read the message on the air, adding that he was surprised Trump was still up and watching.
“Isn’t it past your jail time?” he asked.
Trump raged about that moment for most of the rest of the year, often bringing it up on the campaign trail.
Kimmel said he was offered the hosting gig for 2025, but turned it down.
Now, there’s at least some chance he’ll be back in 2027.
“You know how this ends, right?” Kimmel asked on Monday night. “This ends with Melania winning the first-ever FIFA best actress award.”
FIFA, the governing body for soccer, gave the president its first ever “FIFA Peace Prize” earlier this year in a move that led to an ethics complaint.
See more in his Monday night monologue: