Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel took shots at Republican Senator Katie Britt in his opening monologue, joking that she had the ‘brain of a child’ similar to Emma Stone’s character in Poor Things.
Kimmel, 56, was referencing Stone’s portrayal of Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos’ film – the role for which she was awarded Best Actress.
“Emma played a grown woman with the brain of a child, as the lady who delivered the rebuttal to the State of the Union on Thursday night,” the late-night host said.
Kimmel referenced the Alabama senator’s disastrous response, which referenced an outdated story about a child trafficking victim.
In the now infamous video, Britt stood in her kitchen and relayed the story of a 12-year-old victim to illustrate the border crisis during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Jimmy Kimmel tore into Republican Sen. Katie Britt during his opening monologue at the 96th Academy Awards
Referring to Emma Stone’s award-winning portrayal of Bella Baxter in Poor Things, Kimmel said Britt was similarly ‘a grown woman with the brains of a child’
However, outrage erupted over reports that the ordeal actually took place in Mexico in 2004 under then-President George W. Bush.
The 42-year-old Republican admitted on Fox News host Shannon Bream on Sunday that the story was not current, but refused to back down.
“Well, I said very clearly that I spoke to a woman who told me about when she was trafficked when she was 12,” Britt said when asked about her remarks.
So I didn’t say a teenager, I didn’t say a young woman. A grown woman – a woman – when she was trafficked when she was 12.’
In his 18-minute response, the politician told viewers that the woman told her ‘not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped.’
She insisted that cartel members ‘put her on a mattress in a shoebox in a room and they sent men through that door, over and over, for hours and hours.’
She took a stab at Biden’s border policy and continued: ‘We would not be okay with this happening in a third world country. This is America and it’s time we start acting like it.’
Reporters were quick to point out that Britt was talking about Karla Jacinto Romero, who was caught by a pimp after her mother kicked her out of her family home in Mexico City two decades ago.
Romero was forced into prostitution for four years before escaping and becoming a high-profile advocate for fellow victims.
Kimmel was referencing Stone’s portrayal of Bella Baxter – the role for which she was awarded Best Actress
Britt was ridiculed during an SNL skit where she was played by Scarlett Johansen and dubbed ‘the craziest b**ch in the Target parking lot’
Former Fox News and NBC host Megyn Kelly was one of the members of Britt’s own party to rebuke the Alabama senator.
Britt “embarrassed herself, she embarrassed Republicans, and she embarrassed women,” Kelly said in a video posted on YouTube.
The nearly 20-minute rant was even parodied by Scarlett Johansen on SNL, where Britt was dubbed ‘the craziest b**ch in the Target parking lot.’
Britt traveled to the border at the Del Rio Sector of Texas in January 2023 with Republicans Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, according to a news release from Hyde-Smith’s office.
“The senators learned about cartel activity in Mexico and the work being done to rescue victims of human trafficking,” the release read.
It mentioned that the senators met with Romero during a roundtable discussion accompanied by former Mexican congresswoman Rosa María de la Garza and Fox News correspondent Sara Carter.
The 42-year-old is considered a rising star in the GOP and secured an endorsement from former President Donald Trump for his 2022 primary run. She is also the youngest Republican woman elected to the Senate.
Britt described the story of Karla Jacinto Romero, who was trafficked in 2004, to illustrate the border crisis — even though the incident took place during the presidency of George W. Bush
The Alabama senator was ridiculed for her video response to Biden’s State of the Union after misrepresenting a story about a child-trafficking survivor
Britt received praise from some for her performance, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
“Congratulations to my friend and colleague for showing Texans and Americans what Republicans really stand for – a strong economy, secure border and good jobs for every American,” Cruz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham called her response ‘dynamite’ and added that she was ‘absolutely spot-on’.
But former Republican congressman Joe Walsh told CNN her comments were ‘despicable’.
‘I mean, we get into so many nuances about that sort of thing. Stop, stop the nuance, he said.
‘She sat in front of the American people and she lied to us about a very serious problem.’