Jimmy Kimmel Gets Heat for Mentioning Hailey Bieber in Joke About ‘Nepo Babies’ at 2024 Oscars

As Jimmy Kimmel is finding out anew, you can’t make everyone happy. Nobody was off limits during the Oscars host’s speeches at the ceremony Sunday (March 10), including Hailey Bieber — and some fans aren’t happy.

During his opening monologue, during which he joked about everyone from Robert Downey Jr. to U.S. senator Katie Britt, Kimmel name-dropped the model — who is married to Justin Bieber — while referring to the Hollywood collective as “heavily botoxed, Hailey Bieber smoothie drinking, diabetes prescription abusing, gluten sensitive nepo babies with perpetually shivering chihuahuas.”

And while Hailey does actually have her own smoothie available at Erehwon, and is by most definitions a so-called nepo baby (her father is actor Stephen Baldwin), many viewers who tuned in to the awards show weren’t amused.

“the hailey bieber hate is so forced and tired at this point,” one person tweeted during the show. “leave this woman alone.”

“He was obviously talking about the ‘hailey bieber smoothie’ and wasn’t being shady,” mused another person. “but this was so [badly] worded and unfunny..”

Billboard has reached out to Justin and Hailey Bieber for comment.

Kimmel, however, said just a few days prior to the 2024 Oscars that he knew in advance he’d likely step on some people’s toes. “It’s not that easy,” he told CNN of the hosting gig. “It depends on the person because some people are more sensitive than others. God help you, if I know you. Like, if you’ve been to my house, you’re in trouble on Oscar night.”

During that same interview, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! star also noted that he probably wouldn’t crack any jokes about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship during the show — a promise he held by the end of the ceremony.

In addition to quips about skincare moguls, this year’s Oscars featured presentations from Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Bad Bunny and more, as well as performances from Billie Eilish with Finneas (who won best original song for “What Was I Made For?”), Ryan Gosling, Becky G, Jon Batiste and Scott George and The Osage Singers. Among the award winners were Emma Stone, who took home best actress for Poor Things, Cillian Murphy, 2024’s best actor for Oppenheimer and more.

Watch Kimmel’s Oscars 2024 monologue above.