Kimmel is hosting the ceremony for the fourth time, he congratulated the audience for "making it on time". He said, "The show is starting an hour early this year, but it will go very, very late. We're already five minutes late, and I'm not even joking," reports 'Variety'.

The comedian poked fun at the recent box office bomb 'Madame Web' near the top of the monologue, as he said, "It was also a great year for movies, despite the fact that everything stopped. The people in this room somehow managed to come up with so many excellent films and memorable performances. This night is full of enormous talent, and untold potential, but so was 'Madame Web'."

As per 'Variety', he also joked about 'Barbie' director Greta Gerwig not getting a best director nod, saying, "Now, Barbie is a feminist icon, thanks to Greta Gerwig, who many believed deserved to be nominated for best director tonight. Hold on a second. I know you're clapping, but you're the ones who didn't vote for her, by the way. Don't act like you had nothing to do with this."

He also riffed on Robert Downey Jr.'s Hollywood redemption story, saying he is at "one of the highest points of his career". After the actor tapped his nose in recognition, Kimmel said, "Was that too on the nose or a drug motion you made? Look at him, he's so handsome, so talented, he's won every award there is to win. Is that an acceptance speech in your pocket or do you just have a very rectangular penis?"

He added, "Twenty years ago, Robert played the villain, and correct me if I have this wrong, in a movie where Tim Allen turns into a dog, right? And if you ever decide to remake that film, I have just the guy to play Tim Allen. That is -- where is he? Messi. Even though he's a dog, may have given the performance of the year in 'Anatomy of a Fall'. He has an overdose scene. I haven't seen a French actor vomit like that since Gerard Depardieu."

The comedian also commented on a common complaint of award season: the movies were too long. "There were so many great movies that held audiences captive this year," he said.

"And I mean that literally. Your movies were too long this year. The average length of the top 10 movies was 2 hours and 23 minutes. That's up 30 minutes from three years ago. When I went to see 'Killers of the Flower Moon', I had my mail sent to the theatre. It's so long, you could drive to Oklahoma and solve the murders yourself."

The 96th Academy Awards are currently underway at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The Indian audience can stream the award show on Disney+ Hotstar.