Robert Downey Jr. Laughs Off Jimmy Kimmel’s Oscars Joke: ‘I Adore Him’

Robert Downey Jr. paid little attention to Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes at the 2024 Oscars. The 59-year-old actor, who graced the cover of the spring 2024 issue of Esquire, shared new insights into his career, upbringing, and marriage to Susan Downey with the outlet.

It tackles a lot of subject matter. There’s a joke during the monologue of the Oscars where Jimmy Kimmel, in a very humorous way, kind of took the piss out of Downey Jr.’s troubled past with addiction. To which the actor kind of chuckled right along with everybody else but kind of waved it off with one of those playful no-no gestures, rolling his eyes before motioning to move on when the cameras focused on him.

“I don’t mind. “I adore Jimmy Kimmel,” Downey Jr. said, referring to the host in the post-Oscars Esquire as a “national treasure.” Sure, it was a while after Kimmel’s monologue that Downey Jr. received his first Oscar for the role of Lewis Strauss in “Oppenheimer,” where he co-starred with Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Reflecting on his win, Downey Jr. teased that he’d still be busting his ass far beyond his acclaimed turn as the lead in the 2023 Christopher Nolan hit. He also complimented his wife, 50-year-old Susan, for her unfailing support, mentioning that she resurrected him to feel alive during the emotional speech about receiving an Oscar. The couple shared a beautiful memory with the fans of the night, and they are the proud parents of Avri, Exton, and Indio.