Johnny Carson’s 1981 Oscars speech goes viral amid Kimmel backlash
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Nearly half a century ago, comedian Johnny Carson opted for unity over punchlines following the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
A clip comparing Carson’s 1981 Oscar monologue to reactions to a recent attempt on President Donald Trump’s life drew attention nearly 800,000 views online.
“I’m sure most of you here and watching tonight understand why we’re delaying this show for 24 hours,” Carson said in the video. “Due to yesterday’s incredible events, that old adage, the show must go on, seemed relatively irrelevant.”
Carson and others postponed the Academy Awards 24 hours after John Hinckley Jr.’s attempt to kill Reagan on March 30, 1981. The attack occurred at the Washington Hilton Hotel, the same location as Saturday’s shooting more than 40 years ago.
There are clear differences between the initiative against Reagan and the initiative against Trump. Reagan was seriously injured and returned to the White House after 12 days in the hospital.
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“The academy, ABC television and all of us associated with the program felt it would be inappropriate to hold a celebration at this time yesterday due to the uncertain outcome,” Carson added.
The host noted the president’s resilience, saying he was in “great shape” and still “doing the job.” He shared that Reagan was making jokes in his hospital bed as he struggled to speak.
“You have to remember, this guy was in the hospital yesterday, unable to talk, so he wrote on a piece of paper: ‘All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.’ So tonight the show goes on,” Carson said.
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Johnny Carson hosted the 53rd Academy Awards, which aired on March 31, 1981. (Disney General Entertainment Content via ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)
The video resurfaced as late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel faced criticism for a joke made ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. On his show last Thursday, Kimmel aired a parody of the incident and joked about First Lady Melania Trump: “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, she’s beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you’re glowing like a pregnant widow.”
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Clips of the comments spread widely online following what authorities described as another assassination attempt over the weekend. The First Lady called on ABC to fire Kimmel for what she described as “hateful” language.
Kimmel defended the comment as “a slight joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than me.”
First Lady Melania Trump on Monday called on ABC to take action against Jimmy Kimmel. (Nathan Posner/Anatolia via Getty Images; Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
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“This was not a call for assassination by any definition, and they know that,” Kimmel said Monday night.
“I’ve been speaking out for years, especially against gun violence, but I understand that the First Lady had a stressful experience over the weekend and that every weekend in that house was probably pretty stressful,” he added.
