In his 12-minute opening monologue at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, MC for a fourth time Jimmy Kimmel covered all bases.

He nicely roasted Oppenheimer best supporting actor winner, Robert Downey Jr, called out the audience for clapping Barbie even though its members didn’t vote for Australian actor Margot Robbie, and gave a nod to this year’s actor animal, Messi, the seven-year-old border collie from Anatomy of a Fall.

“I haven’t seen a French actor eat vomit like that since Gerard Depardieu.”

He enjoyed some improv and comedic relief with professional wrestler and actor, John Cena, who re-enacted a 50-year-old streaking stunt by baring all on stage – the winning envelope covered his privates.

“Costumes are so important,” he said.

Moments later, Kimmel wrapped him in a pink satin gown to read out the best costume design winner and retrieve his dignity.

He gave out a special nod to legendary director Steven Spielberg and the role he played in supporting striking writers and actors during last year’s four-month double strike, calling Hollywood a union town.

He got political when referencing Poor Things best actress winner Emma Stone: “Stone played an adult lady with the brain of a child, kinda like the lady that gave the State of the Union rebuttal.”

Kimmel had a few minutes spare for an epilogue at the end too.

He made it even more political when he read out a nasty tweet from former president, Donald Trump, who called Kimmel the worst host ever on the Truth Social platform.

Tweet from @THR

“Has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars. His opening was that of a less-than-average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be,” Kimmel read.

“Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent,’ George Slopanopoulos [Stephanopoulous].

“He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous… blah, blah, blah. Make American Great Again!”

Forever the professional, Kimmel relished the moment to reply.

“See if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social?” he asked.

He thanked him for watching the show, and then delivered the kicker:  “Isn’t it past your jail time?”

Tweet from @IATSE

‘Take a bow’

Meanwhile, in a moving gesture for Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes employees, Kimmel invited dozens of staff onto the stage to acknowledge their importance in the big business of making films.

“All the people who refused to cross the picket lines … here they are.”

They received a standing ovation.

“This very strange town of ours, as pretentious and superficial as it can be, at its heart is a union town,” Kimmel said.

“It’s not just a bunch of heavily Botoxed … smoothie drinking, diabetes prescription-abusing, gluten-sensitive nepo babies with perpetually shivering chihuahuas,” he said.

“This is a coalition of strong, hard-working, mentally tough American labourers, women and men who would 100 per cent sure die if we even had to touch the handle of a shovel.”’

Ryan Gosling and Slash perform I’m Just Ken from Barbie. Photo: Getty

You could feel the Kenergy

And for the best performance of the night, besides Kimmel’s takedown of Trump?

Ryan Gosling singing his nominated Barbie hit, I’m Just Ken, halfway through the ceremony, will go down in history as one of the best in the history of the awards.

Variety described it as a “rousing and ridiculous live performance” as the audience of stars stood and sang along, while The Hollywood Reporter said “you could feel the energy” in the room.