Jimmy Kimmel has left many people unimpressed with his dark humor after hosting the 2023 Oscars.
The 55-year-old hosted the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night for the third time. During his opening monologue, he made the audience and viewers laugh after calling out the Academy for awarding Will Smith with the best actor award after slapping Chris Rock last year.
The host also made sure to interact with stars in the audience such as Malala Yousafzai, however, he was branded as "gross" by social media users after he asked her for her take on the "spit-gate" debacle with Harry Styles and Chris Pine.
It looks like online users weren't happy once again after Kimmel made a joke about actor Robert Blake - best known for his roles in the 1967 film In Cold Blood and the 1970s TV series Baretta - who passed away at age 89 on March 9.
Watch the moment below:In between the award handouts, the host claimed to be introducing an "interactive part of the show" ahead of the annual In Memoriam segment.
"Everybody please get out your phones, even at home, it's time to vote," Kimmel told the audience before shockingly saying: "If you think Robert Blake should be part of the In Memoriam montage, text 'Gimme-A-Blake' to the number on your screen, or to any number.
"Text that to your mother if you like. Message and data rates may apply," the host added, drawing loud laughter from the audience.
Several users thought joking about any aspect of his death was pretty rogue, with one person writing: "Jimmy Kimmel and Oscar writers really blew it with the Robert Blake 'joke'. Not funny or smart."
Another said: "I'm sure joking about the memoriam didn't give you room to think about the families who lost a loved one, but you should've given it some thought. The tasteless slap jokes, Robert Blake joke, showed us YOU."
A third commented: "Robert Blake’s filmography dates back to f**kin’ 1939. To joke about whether he deserves to be in the In Memoriam when the #Oscars have had zero problem honoring Woody Allen and Roman Polanski is not the flex Jimmy thinks it is."
However, other people admitted that they found the joke to be hilarious, with one user noting: "Ok the Robert Blake joke made me choke on my water good job Jimmy Kimmel."
A second person added: "Alright a Robert Blake joke is kind of funny but still f*** Jimmy Kimmel."
Lastly, one more user interjected: "Offended on behalf of a man who killed his wife and got away with it?"
The viewer is referring to Blake enjoying a notable acting career for decades before it was overshadowed by his arrest and subsequent acquittal in the 2001 shooting of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
The 44-year-old mother of four was fatally shot in the actor's car - which was parked near an Italian restaurant where the couple had just dined.
At the time, the Lost Highway star told the police that he'd left Bakley alone while he returned to the restaurant to get a gun he claimed had fallen out of his clothing, as reported by People. Authorities determined that the firearm was not used in the murder.
However, almost one year later, police arrested Blake, and at his trial, prosecutors revealed the statements of two retired stuntmen who alleged to cops that the actor had tried to hire them as hitmen. This allegation was described as unreliable by Blake's defense.
Nevertheless, jurors deliberated for eight days before finding the Our Gang actor not guilty. He continued to maintain his innocence for years after his former partner's tragic death.
Blake's death was confirmed by his niece Noreen Austin who disclosed that he passed away from heart disease.