During the 90th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, host Jimmy Kimmel took a dig at Russian President Vladimir Putin after a film about an alleged doping scandal in Russia was named Best Documentary Feature.
"Well, now at least we know Putin didn't rig this competition, right?" Kimmel said in an apparent nod to allegations about Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential elections.
Twitter users were quick to respond to the news, with some remaining at loggerheads about Kimmel's joke.
“We know #Putin didn’t rig this competition” #Icarus So pathetic. I remember in 2002 when they were all making anti-war statements. This year #Oscars is pushing for #WW3. So sad. Liberals are the new hawks. #Oscar2018
— Caleb T. Maupin (@calebmaupin) 5 марта 2018 г.
Omg can someone GIF Lin-Manuel Miranda's reaction to Jimmy Kimmel's bad Putin joke?
— paddington bareback (@shaniatwink) 5 марта 2018 г.
Not watching the Oscars. Walked by a TV at my hotel just to hear Jimmy Kimmel joke that Putin rigged the election. Riiiight. This is why no one watches this crap. #OscarSunday #BoycottOscars
— Candice Malcolm (@CandiceMalcolm) 5 марта 2018 г.
Priceless line from Jimmy Kimmel after documentary about Russian doping program, Icarus, lands win at #Oscars: "At least we know Putin didn't rig this competition, right?"
— Eric Deggans at NPR (@Deggans) 5 марта 2018 г.
Congratulations to #Icarus for winning at the #Oscars. Super deserved, and a good joke by Kimmel, "At least we know Putin didn't rig these elections."#Russia #politics #dopingscandal
— Joubs (@cajoubs) 5 марта 2018 г.
@MrMikeCalta Tomorrow's headline: Kimmel ignites WW3 with Putin joke after Icarus takes home the Gold
— Dave's not here man (@DaveFromChitown) 5 марта 2018 г.
There was a Russia joke. Kimmel said this was not a contest rigged by Putin when Icarus won.
— Anthony J. Garcia (@anthony_garcia) 5 марта 2018 г.
US moviemaker Bryan Fogel's Icarus is all about the alleged state-run system of doping support in Russia, ostensibly revealed by former director of Russian national anti-doping laboratory-turned-WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov.
READ MORE: 'Icarus' Doping Movie Wins Best Documentary at Oscars
Washington has repeatedly accused Moscow of trying to influence the results of the presidential elections in the US in November 2016, a claim the Kremlin has repeatedly denounced as groundless.
