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The late-night comedian quipped that Trump, who pulled off a political upset win with his campaign that targeted immigration, had taken the heat off Hollywood and its annual gala.

“I want to say thank you to President Trump. Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist? That’s gone, thanks to him,” Kimmel said.

This year’s nominees have reflected a push by the Academy to reward diversity after the #OscarsSoWhite controversy of the past two years that prompted calls for a boycott of the annual bash.

Ali won the best supporting actor prize for his

turn as a drug dealer with a heart in “Moonlight” while fellow AfricanAmerican Viola Davis took the supporting actress statuette for her work in “Fences.”

The most intriguing race was for best actor, which for weeks looked like a lock for “Manchester by the Sea” star Casey Affleck, but he had to fend off a late surge by Denzel Washington (“Fences”) to take the trophy.

Stone bagged her first statuette in the best actress category despite a late push from Isabelle Huppert, already a Golden Globe winner for edgy rape-revenge thriller “Elle.”

“Manchester” went into the evening with six nominations but came away with only Affleck’s win and a best original screenplay statuette for Kenneth Lonergan, who also directed the film.

The Oscars is the highlight of the Tinseltown calendar, and wraps up two months of glittering prize galas.

This awards season, the popping of champagne corks has been muted by the tense political situation in the United States.