Oscars stunt reveals a tricky art
Hollywood is often accused of existing in its own bubble that bears little resemblance to the world at large. So when it comes to the film industry’s biggest night, it’s no surprise that hosts of the Academy Awards often go to great lengths to prove it’s just like the rest of America.
Jimmy Kimmel, host of the Oscars on Feb. 26, put his own spin on this trend by setting up a stunt that tricked a busload of Tinseltown tourists into stumbling into the Dolby Theatre with the ceremony already in progress.
His stunt wasn’t exactly new, though. In 2014, host Ellen DeGeneres had an unsuspecting delivery man distribute pizza in the auditorium — and he ended up with a $1,000 tip for his efforts. And Chris Rock, who hosted last year, brought out a local Girl Scout troop to sell cookies to hungry millionaires.
In Kimmel’s version, the unsuspecting tourists came into the ceremony and were immediately brought in front of the crowd. The host asked their name and where they were from, introduced them to celebrities and offered to let them touch Mahershala Ali’s Oscar.
Some thought it was a charming display of Hollywood’s star power, but for others it was unclear who was the butt of the joke.
When DeGeneres ordered pizza, she was ribbing herself and the audacity of following through with a live pizza delivery. When Rock brought in Girl Scouts to shake down the Hollywood elite, the joke was on the attendees, who got a taste of what the rest of us experience with every trip to Ralph’s. (The taste? Thin Mint.)