Jimmy Kimmel slammed for 'scraping the barrel' with 'uncomfortable' Robert Downey Jr. jokes

Well, the 96th Academy Awards are off to an uncomfortable start.

This year's prestigious awards kicked off with a bang as host Jimmy Kimmel took center stage with a jaw-dropping opening speech that left the room silent and social media ablaze. Check out the moment he fell flat below:

The 56-year-old TV host actually started well - honoring Barbie star Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig, whom many people felt had been snubbed at this year's event.

Then he decided to turn his attention to Hollywood heavyweight Robert Downey Jr., who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Oppenheimer.

As the audience settled into their seats at the star-studded event, Kimmel wasted no time diving into the fray with a series of razor-sharp quips aimed squarely at Downey Jr.'s past struggles with addiction. "This is the highest point of Robert Downey Jr.'s long and illustrious career. Well, one of the highest points," Kimmel teased.

He then made a weird joke about his genitals, which... I don't think anybody in the room understood.

But while Kimmel may have been aiming for laughs, it did look like his remarks hit a nerve with the Iron Man star himself. As cameras panned to Downey Jr., the actor's expression spoke volumes, betraying a mix of discomfort and displeasure. However, there was no Oscars slap here, as Downey Jr. was able to shrug off the comments.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop social media users rushing to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their thoughts on the "jokes" - with viewers branding them "unnecessary" and "distasteful".

"That Robert Downey Jr joke was unnecessary," one X user wrote, with a second adding: "@JimmyKimmelLive horrible at hosting the Oscars, the Robert Downey Jr joke was not funny at all."

Another livid viewer tweeted: "Kimmel scraping the bottom of the barrel with Robert Downey Jr drug 'jokes'. Rehashing old news because he can’t come up with any new material. Deafening silence from the audience was so uncomfortable and embarrassing!"

A fourth added: "The Robert Downey Jr jokes are the most distasteful jokes I got so uncomfortable."

Robert Downey Jr.'s battles with addiction are well documented - but considering the man almost single-handedly carried the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a decade and the fact he's nominated for an Oscar, I think it's time to move on.

It can only get better... right?

Featured image credit: Christina House / Getty