Robert Downey Jr. responds to Jimmy Kimmel’s joke about him at Oscars

Marianne Garvey, CNN | 4/9/2024, 12:04 p.m.
Robert Downey Jr. was unfazed by Jimmy Kimmel’s joke about his past drug use at this year’s Oscars.

Robert Downey Jr. was unfazed by Jimmy Kimmel’s joke about his past drug use at this year’s Oscars.

The “Oppenheimer” actor won an Academy Award for his performance in the film.

As Kimmel hosted, he made a joke about Downey Jr. being at “one of the highest points” of his career.

Downey Jr. pointed to his nose and motioned to Kimmel to “keep it moving.” But it was all in good fun, the actor said in a new interview.

“I don’t care,” Downey Jr. told Esquire. “I love Jimmy Kimmel. I think he’s a national treasure.”

Downey Jr. has been open about his past struggles with addiction.

His wife Susan Downey also spoke to the publication, explaining how the two have made their marriage of 18 years work.

“Everybody loves the simple narrative of somehow I came in and turned his life around and blah, blah, blah,” she said. “But I can tell you that I would never be who I am without him in my life. His trajectory is just the easier one to chart because he’s had to live his ups and downs in public. When we met, we were fortunate that he was in a place where he was open to do things differently than he had historically. But you know what? So was I.”

The couple are the executive producers of the upcoming seven-episode HBO series “The Sympathizer,” in which Downey Jr. stars. The show premieres on April 14.

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