The 2024 Academy Awards were a pretty eventful night. Ryan Gosling did a for-the-ages rendition of “I’m Just Ken.” John Cena got nude. John Mulaney talked at length about Field of Dreams. There was a dog. And, you know, some people won some Oscars. There was also Jimmy Kimmel, the show’s returning host, who kept things lively. Perhaps his peak moment came towards the end, when he decided to read aloud a critical social media post from no less than Donald Trump. Thing is, he says he was begged not to do that.